AssetID: 55946634
Headline: SpaceX to build $100 billion spaceport in Louisiana
Caption: BY MARK WORGAN Elon Musk's SpaceX has announced plans to build a $100 billion (£73 billion) launch site in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana. Construction of Starbase Louisiana is due to begin next year, the firm says. The company said the 125,000-acre (50,585-hectare) site will be used to “support thousands of Starship flights a year with missions launching to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond”. SpaceX aims to launch the first Starship flight from the Louisiana site in 2029. In a promotional video, Musk said he the project would create “10,000 jobs” of the type, “that are so exciting you can’t wait to go to work in the morning.” In its official statement, SpaceX said the new venture meant it was, “committed to investing at least $100 billion and creating more than 3,000 new jobs at Starbase, Louisana hiring heavily from nearby communities and utilizing Louisiana workers’ extensive experience of building complex infrastructure in their unique environment.” The Louisiana Economic Development agency estimates the project will also generate more than 8,100 indirect jobs. SpaceX has also committed to “restore wetlands” around the base. “The historic project will establish Louisiana as a global hub for next-generation aerospace, with the capacity and infrastructure needed to dramatically increase launch frequency and expand access to space,” officials from the agency said. A statement posted on Musk’s X platform by SpaceX, reads: “Starbase, Louisiana will be built to support thousands of Starship flights a year. This self-sustaining spaceport will have propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing facilities, and an airport.” SpaceX's Starship craft is designed to carry people and cargo into Earth orbit and eventually support missions to the Moon and Mars - although it is yet to complete testing. The announcement comes after SpaceX shares began trading on the Nasdaq in June.
Keywords: feature, photo, video, space x, science, space
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