KEY TAKEAWAYS: Louisiana is reportedly finalizing a deal with SpaceX to build a spaceport at Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish. A state lawmaker said the project could become the largest economic development investment in Louisiana history. The proposed site is about 45 miles south of Lafayette and would support SpaceX’s expanding Starship launch program. State officials declined to comment, but an announcement is reportedly expected sometime in August.   Report: Louisiana finalizing deal for SpaceX spaceport <!– 91103468007 –>Louisiana is on the cusp of landing a massive deal with Elon Musk and his company SpaceX to build a spaceport in a remote coastal marshland known as Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish, The Advocate reported Sunday. The deal has been rumored to be in the works for months after the Louisiana Legislature passed a host of bills designed to attract an aerospace project during the spring session that Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law. Spokeswomen for Landry and his economic development Secretary Susan Bourgeois declined to comment on The Advocate’s report or the Space X project when contacted by USA Today Network Aug. 2. But a high ranking legislator who declined to be identified because he isn’t authorized to speak about the project told USA Today Network he was told the SpaceX deal is likely to be completed and announced sometime in August. The legislator said if the deal is consummated it will be the largest economic development project in the history of the state, perhaps twice as big as the ongoing $50 billion Meta data center in Richland Parish near Monroe. Earlier this spring SpaceX addressed the Louisiana rumor in a social media post. “It’s no secret that we intend to launch Starship a lot, targeting thousands of flights per year,” the company said in a May 4 post on X. “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.” The Pecan Island site is located about 45 miles south of Lafayette. SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas, spaceport employees about 3,400 workers. Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Report: Louisiana finalizing deal for SpaceX spaceport Reporting by Greg Hilburn, Shreveport Times / Shreveport Times USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less