SpaceX Builds Own Turbine Blade Factory in Texas Amid Global Shortages
SpaceX is building a specialized turbine blade and vane foundry in Bastrop, Texas, to bypass global supply chain shortages and accelerate the deployment of natural gas turbines by up to 18 months. The goal is to address a critical shortage of power generation infrastructure needed to fuel the growth of AI data centers and SpaceX's own manufacturing ventures.
The turbine blades and stator guide vanes must operate in extreme thermal environments, between 3,000 and 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit, which demands highly advanced single-crystal casting and milling capabilities. Currently, only four casting foundries possess the technology to handle these components, leading to equipment backlogs extending all the way out to 2030 for major energy manufacturers like GE Vernova.
The new foundry is expanding upon SpaceX's growing industrial hub in Bastrop, located roughly 30 miles outside of Austin. Job postings have been live for Senior Materials, Automation, Tooling, and Operations Engineers tasked specifically with the construction, expansion, and operational ramp-up of the foundry line.