SpaceX is close to finalising a deal with the state of Louisiana to acquire roughly 130,000 acres of marshland along the northern Gulf Coast, according to local newspaper The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. Governor Jeff Landry is expected to announce the agreement later this month, giving SpaceX control of an 18-mile stretch southwest of Lafayette known as Pecan Island. The move matters because it would give SpaceX a third major US launch site as it pursues ambitions to fly Starship thousands of times a year, supporting plans for a large constellation of orbital data centre satellites.

The Pecan Island site became available through a legal settlement resolving lawsuits against ExxonMobil over pollution and coastal erosion, and any deal is expected to include coastal restoration commitments given the marsh's role as wildlife habitat and hurricane buffer. Louisiana lawmakers have also passed incentives for aerospace firms, including tax breaks and liability protections. The location offers deep-water access, room to expand beyond SpaceX's congested Texas and Florida sites, barge access to its Starfactory near Boca Chica, potential polar orbit trajectories, and proximity to the Henry Hub natural gas hub for launch propellant. Neither SpaceX nor Louisiana officials have publicly confirmed the deal.