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HOUSTON—Starlab Space LLC announced March 3 that its planned Starlab space station has completed its preliminary design review (PDR) under a $217.5 million Phase 1 Commercial Low Earth Orbit program agreement with NASA to develop and operate one of multiple privately owned successors to the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA, which leads ISS operations, plans to retire the 15-nation orbital lab in 2030, a year ahead of a safe deorbit and a few years after the initial arrival of commercial free-flying successors in low Earth orbit.
“Starlab’s progress underscores our collective commitment to ensuring U.S. leadership in low Earth orbit with investment and partnership from key allied international organizations and agencies,” said Dylan Taylor, chairman and CEO of Voyager Technologies, the majority shareholder in Starlab’s joint venture. “We are ready to advance human spaceflight, ensure a continuous human presence in LEO, and build a thriving commercial space ecosystem.”
“This milestone confirms that our space station design is technically sound and safe for astronaut crewed operations,” added Tim Kopra, Starlab’s CEO. “Now, with our partners, we shift our focus to the full-scale development of the station, including the manufacturing of critical hardware and software integration.”
The next milestones are achieving critical design review (CDR) with detailed design and hardware development and a contract with NASA for use of Starlab Station for research and technology development, including astronaut occupation.
Over the next year, the Starlab partnership—led by Voyager Technologies and including Europe’s Airbus, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp., and Canada’s MDA Space as well as Palantir Technologies, Ohio State University and Hilton—intends to pursue six key objectives:
• Establish a System Integration Lab to serve as the central hub for avionics, computing, sensors and software testing.
• Procure long-lead materials for critical subsystems.
• Develop a high-fidelity mockup to support astronaut training and systems testing, with full assembly at NASA’s Johnson Space Center this summer.
• Advance key life support technologies, including an advanced urine processor.
• Continue progress on an Optical Link Demo Mission, intended to enhance future deep-space communication capabilities.
• Begin construction of engineering design units and proto flight hardware.
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