Ibadan, 10 January 2024. – Voyager Space and Airbus have completed the transaction to create Starlab Space LLC, a transatlantic joint venture that will design, build, and operate the Starlab commercial space station. In addition to the joint venture execution, the Starlab team completed the station-level System Definition Review (SDR), a critical milestone assessing the technical and programmatic accountability of the program.
In August 2023, Voyager and Airbus first announced an agreement to form a transatlantic joint venture to support a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit and a seamless transition of microgravity science and research opportunities in the post-International Space Station era. Furthermore, in October 2023, Voyager announced a teaming agreement with Northrop Grumman to develop fully autonomous rendezvous and docking technology for Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft and provide cargo resupply services for Starlab.
Matthew Kuta, President of Voyager Space, said, “Our sights are set on powering the commercial space revolution, and it’s crystal clear we’re leading the way for commercial low-Earth orbit. Through our joint venture with Airbus, teaming agreements with Northrop Grumman and Hilton, and continued success in meeting critical milestones, Starlab is setting the new standard for commercial space.”
According to Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, Starlab will inspire the same global cooperation that the International Space Station did. He also added, “This joint venture solidifies our unwavering commitment to reimagining the future of commercial space alongside Voyager, anchoring Starlab to European and American ambitions and pioneering the future of humanity in space.”
In addition to the US entity, which has the authority to operate in the United States and with US Government agencies, Starlab will also have a European-affiliated joint venture to directly serve the European Space Agency and its member state space agencies.
