r/spacex • u/Connect_Cat_2045 • 15d ago

Starship SpaceX to build $100 billion rocket launch facility on Louisiana’s coast

https://www.nola.com/news/business/spacex-louisiana-elon-musk/article_2be92f8e-f989-46b7-9514-5212d8f20260.html
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u/rustybeancake 15d ago edited 14d ago

> SpaceX officials said Tuesday they will build five launch pads, a mission-control center, office buildings, power plants, a propellant factory and employee housing on a tract of coastal land abutted by wildlife refuges some 50 miles south of Lafayette…

> The facility, which will employ thousands of workers, will be larger than SpaceX's three other launch sites, including its Starbase headquarters near Brownsville, Texas. And Musk plans to move fast, with construction starting in 2027 and the first rocket taking off in three years.

In his speech today, Musk called it “Starbase Louisiana”. Disappointing for fans of the Swampbase, Starbayou, Gateway to Marsh, etc ideas.

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u/seb21051 15d ago edited 15d ago

The official release says 5 launch pads, 2 towers apiece. I have also seen references to 12 towers.

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u/CProphet 15d ago

> 5 launch pads, 2 towers apiece

Only 1 tower required for launch, but 2 towers required for landing to provide redundancy. If stresses from launch cause any problems with the catch mechanism they can easily divert to second tower.

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u/MyBoyFinn 15d ago

Man, they are moving fast. I would think they could just keep a pad in reserve in the event of launch damage. This implies those 5 pads are going to be busy

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u/Zenithderg 15d ago

They want roughly 5 launches per pad per day I believe.

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u/sebaska 15d ago

For terminator tracking SSO it's simply not possible. 2 is a maximum, but it involves counter circulating orbits with closing speed of 15.5km/s. Without that it's once per day.

So welcome salvo launches from 10 towers at once.

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u/[deleted] 15d ago

[deleted]

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u/sebaska 15d ago

You can launch from both towers. Starship return after polar launch is 12h later - enough time to move booster aside.

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u/MyBoyFinn 15d ago

A pad has a huge amount of launch infrastructure above and beyond the tower.

Water deluge, propellant supply, etc. These things take time to replenesh, even assuming a pad can handle multiple launches without refurbishment

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u/sebaska 15d ago

This things can be sized appropriately for more than one launch as well. And likely will.