So it seems that there are news articles about a new launch complex in Louisiana and I am totally confused at…why?
There is a reason current launch sites are where they are and Louisiana is NOT on any of the orbital insertion paths that I am aware of, hence reason no launch complex there already.
Uhm…Louisiana is hit by a hurricane to the tune of twice every three years. (According to Wiki.) So I looked up the location. Vermilion Parish is NOT deep in the state and far away from water, no it is ON THE Gulf.
Now there are quite few other things to raise eyebrows like the “Instead of paying taxes, SpaceX will make annual payments over the next 25 years to Vermilion Parish that will generate an estimated $820 million at least.” arrangement that just screams under the table payments to me.
What part of first principles is making him build there? Is it all just greed and his own hubris??
LOL…I tried google AI to ask if Louisiana was a good launch site for orbital insertion…the first response was SUPER enthusiastic about SpaceX ‘turning that around’. So I tried asking why there are no launch sites there already, and it went straight back to gushing about how SpaceX was going to change things.
I had to then put in - “Please disregard the enthusiasm around space x, what is the historical reason for no launch sites in Louisiana?” Finally, got to some interesting information - launching East flies them over Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, you know, inhabited states. This was all part of the early rocket program planning and they ruled it out because stuff does blow up.
FWIW, the reason for Louisiana is that it provides a better location for launches into polar orbit.
I am somewhat of a skeptic on needing all these launch pads and locations. I think the space based electricity generation is an interesting idea but between any significant moon/mars missions, continuing starlink launches, and the space based generation, I care mainly about continued progress with Starlink.
The other opportunities require so many launches with short turnaround that I think they need to ensure they have a heat shied that doesn’t require significant remedy after every launch. Despite what Elon has claimed, they aren’t close to achieving this yet