SpaceX in Acadiana Rumors Traced

@whatspoppinnola, Instagram

By now, you’ve probably heard the rumor about SpaceX in Acadiana, if you weren’t already involved in the local whispers. And, if you haven’t, the rumor is that SpaceX is planning for a 136,000-acre campus in Louisiana, specifically in Vermilion Parish.

Like a lot of Louisianians, I first heard about this rumor when I opened Instagram last week and saw a post by @whatspoppinnola, which says, “According to a local real estate insider Jim Keaty, no official documents have surfaced yet, but a few sources are quietly confirming the deal.”

The post shared that the site for the rumored campus is near Pecan Island and Freshwater City.

Still, to this day, there is no official announcement or confirmation of the campus. However, this week on X, SpaceX finally addressed the surfacing rumors. See the details of the post and other key events in the timeline below.

SpaceX in Acadiana Rumor Timeline: Tracing the Source

• May 13 – SpaceX Post

In a repost of the rumor, SpaceX wrote, “It’s no secret that we intend to launch Starship a lot, targeting thousands of flights per year. That cadence will require the ability to launch from many different locations, so we are constantly exploring to find viable sites to expand Starship operations in the future, both domestically and internationally.”

While the post is in response to the SpaceX in Acadiana rumors, it does not confirm or deny a location specifically in Acadiana.

SpaceX on X

• May 5 – @whatspoppinnola, @bootkrewemedia and Others Post

As mentioned above, @whatspoppinnola, in a collab post with other accounts, posted about the rumor, referencing Jim Keaty.

• April 30 – Acadiana Realtor Jim Keaty Posts on Facebook

I found Keaty’s original blog post for Keaty Real Estate, located in Lafayette, where he shares that people have been asking him about SpaceX buying land in the area.

Keaty writes, “I’ve called everyone I could think of who might know–government officials, longtime Pecan Island locals, energy insiders, hunting-lease holders. No one is denying it. A few are quietly confirming it. But not a single official document has surfaced.”

The main reason Keaty believes the rumor is due to ExxonMobil’s 2025 announcement to develop a 125,000-acre project. Keaty shares that the permitting has stalled, and he believes purchasing the land from ExxonMobil is “exactly the kind of deal Elon Musk’s team would chase.”

Additionally, Keaty shares that Freshwater City in Vermilion Parish sits between SpaceX’s Boca Chica manufacturing hub (450 miles west) and Cape Canaveral (850 miles east), connected by the protected Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.

• April 18 – The State Treasurer’s Campaign Manager Posts

Before even Keaty’s blog post, Brendon Dubroc, the campaign manager for the Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, made a Facebook post stating, “The LA legislature is considering a package of bills (HB 1088, HB 1179) designed to provide massive sales and property tax breaks for companies that build, launch and service rockets, specifically aimed at making Louisiana competitive with Texas and Florida.”

• March 31 – Talk of Two Bills to Benefit Aerospace Facilities

The Louisiana State Legislature defines the bills Dubroc references in his post as follows:

• • HB1088 – Authorizes a state and local sales and use tax rebate on the purchase of certain items used in aerospace facilities and activities
    • Status (last update since May 5): Signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, awaiting Governor Jeff Landry’s Approval.
  • HB 1179 – Extends eligibility for the ad valorem tax exemption for certain manufacturing establishments to certain aerospace manufacturing establishments
    • Status (last update since May 5): Signed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, awaiting Governor Jeff Landry’s Approval.

Related News?

So, are the bills related to the SpaceX rumors? Is Louisiana attempting to create benefits for buyers like SpaceX? While only time will tell, it’s interesting to note the following trends in the state, regarding big businesses buying land and developing sites:

• April 28: Turner Industries announces nuclear fabrication facilities in Acadiana
• Feb. 23: Amazon selected Louisiana for $12 billion data center campuses across Caddo and Bossier parishes. Operations will launch in phases over the next several years.
• Dec. 15, 2025: Hut 8, an energy infrastructure platform, selected West Feliciana Parish for its River Bend AI data center. Construction is expected to end in the second quarter of 2027.
• Dec. 4, 2024: Meta selected Richland Parish for its 4-million square foot data site. Construction is expected to continue until 2030.