Thousands of planned launches, terms of deal, worry some near Louisiana SpaceX site

Outdoor educator Gabe Giffin is concerned about potential impacts on local wildlife from the SpaceX rocket facility in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. Kathleen Flynn hide caption

The center of the small town of Abbeville, La., near the Gulf of Mexico, was closed off to the public for a few hours last month to hold an invitation-only event.

Executives, developers and politicians met in an event venue often used for weddings. There they watched an action-movie-style video depicting Elon Musk landing in a helicopter to a techno-music soundtrack. Waiting for him was Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.

"I think Star Base is cool," Musk says in the film. "Star Base Louisiana."

"I love it," Landry says. "We can't wait to serve y'all the first pot of gumbo."

Musk's SpaceX says it's building a 125,000-acre facility that could launch about 30 rockets per day — thousands per year. It's part of the company's plans to expand the Starlink satellite internet service and potentially power data centers in space.

Louisiana Economic Development, a state agency, says the facility will include five launch complexes and housing for employees and their families. In the video, Musk says the site will bring around 10,000 jobs to Louisiana.

The announcement event wasn't the only exclusive part of the deal, which the state says brings $100 billion in investment.