Musk's rocket firm SpaceX to build $100bn launch facility

Multi-billionaire Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX has announced that it will build its largest launch site yet in the southern US state of Louisiana.

Construction of the $100bn (£73bn) project - named Starbase, Louisiana - is due to start next year, with the 125,000-acre (50,585-hectare) site expanding on the company's operations beyond its current Texas headquarters and locations in Florida.

It will be used to "support thousands of Starship flights a year with missions launching to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars and beyond," SpaceX said on Tuesday.

In June, SpaceX shares started trading on New York's technology-focused Nasdaq in the world's biggest ever stock market debut .

SpaceX said it aims to launch its first Starship flight from the new Louisiana base in 2029.

The facility will add more than 3,000 jobs to the region, the company said , external .

The Louisiana Economic Development agency said the average wage of workers at the base - the largest of its kind in the world - would be 192% more than the region's current average salary.

It will also create more than 8,100 new jobs indirectly, the agency estimated.