SpaceX, the aerospace company owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has announced plans to invest at least $100 billion to build a major spaceport in Louisiana, United States, for the launch of its Starship megarockets.

The facility, to be known as Starbase Louisiana, will be located in Vermilion Parish, about 115 miles (185 kilometres) west of New Orleans. Construction is expected to begin next year, with the project projected to create more than 3,000 jobs.

“A spaceport on the Louisiana Gulf Coast enabling a multiplanetary future,” SpaceX said on its website.

A spaceport is a facility used for launching, landing, testing and maintaining spacecraft.

According to SpaceX, the Louisiana project will include more than launch pads and will provide the infrastructure required to support thousands of Starship flights annually. The company expects the first launches from the facility in 2029.

Musk said Starbase Louisiana would eventually have more than a dozen launch towers capable of supporting over 30 Starship flights per day, potentially making it the world’s largest launch site.

Starship, SpaceX’s next-generation megarocket, is still under development and is intended to support future missions to the Moon and Mars.

The Louisiana Economic Development agency said workers at the facility are expected to earn an average salary 192 per cent higher than the region’s current mean wage.

SpaceX also pledged to take significant measures to preserve the coastline and protect wildlife around the proposed site.

The company is currently developing and testing Starship at its Starbase facility in Texas, located near protected areas. The site has faced opposition from environmental groups over concerns about its impact on surrounding ecosystems.

Louisiana faces significant environmental challenges, particularly coastal erosion. The US Geological Survey estimated in 2017 that the state had lost more coastal wetlands than all other contiguous US states combined.

SpaceX said the Louisiana project would support its long-term ambition of making frequent space travel possible and advancing humanity towards becoming a multiplanetary civilisation.