Even with the acquisition of artificial intelligence startup xAI, which Musk is trying to turn into a strong competitor to OpenAI, parent company SpaceX is still an aerospace company and therefore continues to develop its classic business. It was reported this week that SpaceX will build a new launch facility in Louisiana in order to increase the number of launches of its Starship super-heavy rocket.
Image source: SpaceX
The company will cost $100 billion to develop; a 506-square-kilometer piece of land on the state’s coast has been allocated for the new site. SpaceX currently uses a launch site in south Texas to launch Starship and may also use a second launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida, but Louisiana could become a third regular Starship launch site as the program expands.
President Gwen Shotwell delivers welcome remarks at Louisiana event point out: “It’s going to be a different project, another element of science fiction and what I call science fact.”. The company is also involved in the construction of the giant Terafab plant in Texas. When Starship reaches mass production, the company expects to conduct multiple launches per day. With its help, SpaceX expects to launch up to 1 million dedicated data centers into space based on satellites containing Nvidia computing components. In the case of the new Louisiana location, it’s close to natural gas sources so it could be used as fuel for starships.
The new SpaceX space launch site, traditionally called “Starbase,” will consist of five launch sites, each containing two launch sites. Here, fuel will be produced, electricity will be generated to power the complex, and the Starship rocket itself will be repaired, requiring regular preparation for relaunches due to its reusability. Accommodation camps will be provided for spaceport staff and their relatives. Construction of the space launch site will begin next year; it is expected to be operational in 2029. There may also be a space launch site here. Overall, the project will create 3,000 to 10,000 new jobs.
In addition to launching the space data center into orbit, the Starship rocket will also be used to launch the next generation of Starlink communications satellites there. This week, a Falcon 9 rocket, significantly inferior to Starship in terms of payload capacity, launched its last similar mission from Florida. In the future, similar rockets will launch Starlink satellites into orbit from another location, and the Florida complex will focus on operating Starships. In Louisiana, SpaceX will be actively involved in coastal restoration and protection of local ecosystems, as well as increasing storm protection. The surrounding swamps are home to many migratory birds, and SpaceX management is confident that regular launches from new locations will not cause them to eventually migrate to other areas.
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