Private space station Starlab reaches ‘full-scale development’, launch planned for 2028

The Starlab space station is a joint project between the American Voyager and the European Airbus. In addition to private funding, the project received $217.5 million from NASA under the Commercial LEO Destinations Phase 1 program and $15 million from the Texas Space Commission. Starlab will consist of a service module and a residential module designed for four people. The station is scheduled to be launched into orbit in 2028 using the SpaceX Starship rocket.

Image source: Starlab

Starlab is one of several orbital stations currently being developed by American private companies. NASA has decided, after the completion of the International Space Station project in 2030, not to build a new orbital station on its own, but to entrust this to private companies and use their stations on a commercial basis.

Following a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and safety assessment, a team of experts from NASA and project partners gave the green light for a “full-scale development” of the space station. The station’s interior will have a total volume of 340 m³, and will be equipped with a robotic arm and a suite of instruments for microgravity experiments.

«“The successful PDR is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of our team,” said Starlab CEO Tim Kopra. “This milestone confirms that our space station design is technically sound and safe for crewed astronaut operations. Together with our partners, we now turn our attention to full-scale station development, including critical hardware fabrication and software integration.”

The project will now move into the detailed design and hardware development phase, which will conclude with a critical design review, likely in 2026. In the coming months, the partners will develop a high-fidelity systems test vehicle that will be assembled at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston this summer. At the same time, they will begin developing avionics, computing systems, and advanced life support technologies, such as water reclamation.

Voyager CEO Dylan Taylor said, “We are committed to advancing human spaceflight, ensuring a persistent human presence in low Earth orbit, and building a thriving commercial space ecosystem.” Voyager eventually hopes to contract with NASA to host agency astronauts on the station.