SpaceX intends to invest up to $100 billion in a massive Louisiana spaceport, with access to about 125,000 acres in southern Louisiana's Pecan Island area. The project will face environmental challenges in a region supporting diverse wildlife. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the company will use only a small portion of the land, focusing on preserving wetlands and recreational uses like fishing and hunting.

Initial efforts will target coastal erosion, where the state loses one to three meters annually. SpaceX will partner with state and federal agencies to expand Louisiana's Coastal Master Plan, including Gulf shoreline breakwaters. Construction is set to begin in 2027, with a first launch targeted by 2029.

The location offers key advantages: proximity to the Intracoastal Waterway for rocket transport, relative closeness to SpaceX's Starfactory in South Texas, and southward-facing access to polar orbits. Most orbital data center satellites will likely use near-polar orbits, reachable from Louisiana with a short path over Mexico.

Louisiana officials first heard from SpaceX about six months ago. The site became available via a legal settlement resolving lawsuits against Exxon Mobil. SpaceX promised at least 3,000 local jobs, up to 10,000, while building a small city to support the world's largest rocket.