SpaceX to develop Louisiana spaceport and launch 75th Starlink mission

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry is expected to announce a multibillion-dollar deal with SpaceX to construct a new spaceport along the state's coast. The planned facility would occupy approximately 18 miles of coastline about 45 miles southwest of Lafayette, near Abbeville. The project aims to provide a launch site for SpaceX’s reusable Starship rockets, allowing them to launch over the Gulf of Mexico. The development is anticipated to bring thousands of jobs and increased commercial aerospace activity to the region.

Separately, SpaceX is scheduled to conduct its 75th Starlink mission of 2026. Using a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Starlink 10-39 mission will deploy 29 broadband internet satellites into low Earth orbit. This specific mission marks the launch of the 2,000th Starlink satellite of the year. The mission utilizes the B1078 booster, which is slated to perform its 30th flight and land on the droneship ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ in the Atlantic Ocean.