SpaceX is building a new spaceport on 125,000 acres in Southwest Louisiana, making it the largest in the world, the company and Gov. Jeff Landry announced Tuesday.
The $100 billion investment will not only reshape Acadiana's economy but it has the capacity to influence the greater New Orleans area, too, local leaders say.
Starbase Louisiana will be "self-sustaining," the company says, with "propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing facilities, and an airport."
SpaceX will hire about 3,000 people, but "based on our experience in Starbase, Texas, it's probably closer to" 10,000, said SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell. "Between 60 and 80% of new hires at our Texas sites are local residents, something that we will repeat here in Louisiana."
