SpaceX announces Starbase, LA in Louisiana with 10 launch pads
SpaceX reveals plans for a new Louisiana facility featuring 10 launch pads and a factory, targeting the coastal region near Pecan Island.
What to know
- SpaceX announced a new Louisiana facility called Starbase, LA featuring 10 launch pads and a factory, marking an expansion beyond the existing Texas base.
- The project is expected to bring substantial construction work and employment to coastal Louisiana, one of the poorest regions in the US, over an estimated 10-20 year period.
- Environmental claims in the announcement drew skepticism, with commenters questioning vague language about wetland preservation and noting suspiciously similar marketing copy.
- Online responses are mixed: some see it as a genuine boost to US infrastructure ambitions, while others doubt SpaceX will deliver on the announced scope given historical timeline overruns.
The dispute Whether SpaceX is making a genuine commitment to Louisiana development or engaging in stock-promotion theater with unrealistic claims and hollow environmental language. · positions read across 265 posts and comments
This is a genuine economic opportunity for struggling Louisiana communities and shows ambitious infrastructure projects returning to the US.
-
“Man if this actually starts to happen it's a good time to be a welder, concrete worker, or any general contractor or tradesman in Louisiana.”
chasd00 · Hacker News
SpaceX's environmental claims are hollow corporate language and the environmental impact on wetlands and wildlife is not being honestly addressed.
-
“Pretty cynical corpo-ambiguity-speak, even by Musk standards.”
estearum · Hacker News
The announced scope is unrealistic and will be dramatically scaled back; this is a marketing stunt to boost stock and hype.
-
“Feels like an impossible project that will end up being 5% of what was advertised (the 5% being what was actually planned all along).”
maeln · Hacker News
The marketing copy itself is suspect and likely generated or heavily templated, raising questions about the seriousness of the announcement.
-
“I wonder if anyone read the copy on this page or if it mostly came out of an LLM.”
cwal37 · Hacker News
The record 5 articles and posts · last 30 days
- summary covers to here · Aug 25, 6:40 PM · 2 pieces above arrived after
What people are saying 24 voices from 3 sites · best of 265 · verbatim
- Why Louisiana over expanded capacity near existing Starbase Texas or other coastal sites?
- What is the actual realistic timeline and scope given SpaceX's history of project overruns?
- How will the facility's operations affect Pecan Island wetlands and migratory bird habitat in practice?
- Aug 27
-
Where exactly are they planning to build this? See https://environment.yale.edu/news/article/louisianas-shrinki.... Ah, Vermilion Parish which is ~160 miles east of New Orleans...
- Aug 25
-
E
https://www. europesays.com/3215548/ SpaceX’s Starbase Louisiana: A Third Starship Launch Site Changes the Game # ElonMusk # Musk
-
N
Starbase, LA: https://www. spacex.com/sites/starbase-la Discussion: http:// news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4 9436822
-
So this is official after months of speculation. Local realtors called this back in May https://x.com/SERobinsonJr/status/2051440979878559829 , and Ars Technica covered these rumors earlier this month https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/08/spacex-is-set-to-acqui... .The Louisiana location has two major benefits:Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) Access…
-
I live around a lot of those people in SW Ohio who find themselves traveling to states like Louisiana for welding, electrical and general contracting work because the expertise isnt there. I have to imagine much of the same will happen and if anything they might reap rewards following construction. Regardless I would assume little to no relevant…
-
I wonder how coastal they intend to be. They make a lot of claims about repairing the wetlands and coastal regions, but a lot of it is likely going to be underwater in the next 25 years because of rising sea levels [0], regardless of how many wetlands are repaired. And I suspect infrastructure like this probably has to be usable for something like…
-
But its also hard not to be. I'm not a fan of Musk and it doesn't even have to do with Musk himself as its a common theme I see among a lot of the big tech companies or really any company doing a big project in my neck of the woods. An hour north east of me, there has been big on going data center projects for 10+ years. Sounds good right? I got a…
-
Is it a good time though? - Their Texas suppliers have been chasing payment and Greg Abbott rolled over and let Elon get their property without payment. Not the only Tesla/SpaceX vendor not being paid either.
-
I mean, the US's largest launch site right now is and has been for decades looking straight down the barrel of hurricanes
-
Elon-types won't "dig us out" of our mess.Removing parasitic elements in government spending and policy will. This starts with politics. We first need a healthy, educated, engaged, and safe population. All else follows. These are all things Elon actively works against. You aren't part of his future.
-
You're being down-voted (and so shall I) but I think you're right. Despite all the animosity towards him, Musk is doing things that are economically meaningful for our nation.We'll need a few more of "him" to dig us out of this situation I reckon, but overall I still hope it's possible.(Anyone asking antagonistic questions can go ahead and save…
-
> Pecan Island and nearby wetlands are high-value habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and other coastal wildlife. SpaceX is not developing the full footprint of the land and will preserve wetlands and wildlife habitat.Pretty cynical corpo-ambiguity-speak, even by Musk standards.We're supposed to be happy they're promising…
-
Musk always throws out insanely exaggerated numbers. According to him twenty years ago, we should have had a hundred people on mars by now. 30 starship flights per day? They still haven't had a single completely successful, fully operational launch of a starship. 30 in a day is unlikely to happen for several decades, if ever. Also, what the hell…
-
Cancer Alley about to get a whole bunch more cancerous
-
When the nnvironmental protection laws in Texas are found to be to onerous, Louisiana is right there waiting for you
-
There is an air force base in Bossier City, LA so that could be a reason. It is or at least used to be a B52 base.
-
Man if this actually starts to happen it's a good time to be a welder, concrete worker, or any general contractor or tradesman in Louisiana. Coastal Louisiana is some of the poorest areas in the US even more so than the valley in Texas where Starbase Texas is located. Probably 10-20 years worth of solid work building out that site.
-
1000's of starship flights per year. Hmm.. We'll see.
-
H
SpaceX – Starbase, LA L: https://www. spacex.com/sites/starbase-la C: https:// news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4 9436822 posted on 2026.08.25 at 12:37:52 (c=0, p=4)
-
Elon was never accused of lack of ambition
-
Shreveport has a weirdly large space sector. Which is weird because who the hell wants to live in Shreveport.
-
Construction is set to begin in 2027 with the first Starship launch expected in 2029. That is imo, very optimistic but maybe with the experience gained from Starbase TX and Florida it is possible. Elon also said on Twitter that Starbase Louisiana will have over a dozen launch towers and enable more than 30 Starship flights per day
-
Also they‘re building two additional catch towers at the cape, and probably will add another pair in Louisiana to facilitate fleet logistics for returning long duration ships.
-
As of right now starship has 5 launch pads irc, 1 operational at texas with the other one being actively worked on after. And 3 at the cape one of which is almost done. That is already more than falcon 9 ever had. And now this