Starlab Space has renewed its website https://starlab-space.com/. On this occasion, the company has posted new graphics of its stations, slightly different from those previously presented. Unfortunately, I did not find there any information on what these changes are due to. Anyway, since this station is to be placed in orbit by Starship, there is still a lot of time left and various changes in the station's appearance we will probably still see.
Now YOU can fly through #Starlab. If you're at #IAC2024, you can experience Starlab's spacious crew deck in extraordinary virtual reality. Come float inside the space station that will enable continuous, permanent human presence in #LEO . Grab a headset @ the @AirbusSpace booth & join us in space.
A NASA-funded commercial space station, Starlab, recently completed four key developmental milestones, marking substantial progress in the station’s design and operational readiness.The four milestones are part of a NASA Space Act Agreement awarded in 2021 and focused on reviews of the habitat structural test article preliminary design, systems integration, integrated operations, and a habitat structural test plan.“These milestone achievements are great indicators to reflect Starlab’s commitment to the continued efforts and advancements of their commercial destination,” said Angela Hart, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. “As we look forward to the future of low Earth orbit, every successful milestone is one step closer to creating a dynamic and robust commercialized low Earth orbit.”The commercial space station is designed to launch on a single flight and includes a large habitation and laboratory module with a smaller service module for power and propulsion.Earlier this year, Starlab Space completed a structural test article preliminary design review, supported by NASA. The structural test article is an engineering development unit of the station’s habitation module, which is where astronauts will spend most of their time living and working aboard the future commercial destination. An engineering development unit is a physical model that is used to test and verify the design of a project, such as a space station.Starlab also recently shared a test plan for the structural test article, which included defining qualification tests of the development unit from welding verifications to proof pressure and static load testing, among others. During proof pressure tests, a spacecraft component or system is pressurized to a significantly higher than normal operating pressure to verify its structural integrity, and a static load test measures the response of a component or system under an applied load.In addition, Starlab completed integration operations and systems integration reviews. These reviews included updates on system and station architecture, segment interfaces, and program goals, as well as a comprehensive look into the program’s requirements.Starlab also is set to complete a preliminary design review and phase 1 safety review by the end of the year. This review is meant to demonstrate that the station’s design meets system requirements, including human spaceflight verification, with acceptable risk. The safety review will summarize the current design and general safety approach for the destination.
Starlab Space LLC today announced the opening of its first overseas subsidiary, Starlab Space GmbH. Located in Bremen, Germany, it will extend the company’s capabilities and demonstrates its commitment to its international partners, maintaining global cooperation and permanent human presence, and expanding microgravity research opportunities in a commercial LEO economy.“Successful and sustainable operation of a commercial space station requires international partners, and therefore, a presence beyond America’s borders,” said Tim Kopra, Starlab CEO. “We’re thrilled to launch Starlab Space Europe, a regional hub that will facilitate industrial efficiencies and expanded partnerships with allied space agencies, including the European Space Agency and its member countries. More importantly, joining American and European presence sets the stage for life beyond the ISS, one that has a global, permanent crew thriving in low-Earth orbit and leading research that can transform all of humanity.”[...]Starlab’s European subsidiary in Bremen is jointly owned by Starlab Space and Airbus Defence and Space. Starlab Space Europe is strongly positioned to leverage Airbus’ advanced space infrastructure facilities and experienced team that support both the ISS Columbus Module and the European Service Module for NASA’s Orion spacecraft. Co-locating with Airbus in Bremen places Starlab in vicinity to a premier aerospace workforce.
As part of this evolution, Voyager has also organized its operations into three business segments: Defense & National Security, focusing on defense systems, spectrum dominance, communications systems, guidance and navigation systems, and national security space; Space Solutions, delivering cutting-edge space and science systems including the Bishop Airlock, advanced exploration systems, space science and mission management; and Starlab Space Stations, developing the next generation of commercial space infrastructure to ensure continued human presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Starlab Space LLC was awarded $15 million, the highest amount awarded to a commercial space company to date, by the Texas Space Commission as part of their Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund grant program. The intent of the SEARF program is to strengthen the space industry in Texas. The grant to Starlab not only supports a Houston-based business but will also help grow Starlab’s ecosystem of suppliers and customers across the state. “Starlab is setting the stage for life beyond the ISS and a low-Earth orbit environment where a crew with a continuous presence can thrive and accelerate innovative research and development,” said Starlab CEO Tim Kopra. “To ensure the success of our future space missions, we are starting with state-of-the-art testing facilities that will include the closest approximation to the flight environment as possible and allow us to verify requirements and validate the design of the Starlab space station.”The Systems Integration Lab will include two labs, the main SIL and a Software Verification Facility. The SIL will house flight-like hardware for testing. In this environment, engineers and astronauts can check systems designed for the Starlab space station, catching any potential issues in advance and ensuring efficient and effective operations in space. The SVF will contain a simulated station environment with flight computers and serve as the primary software integration and requirements verification facility. This award is in addition to the $217.5 million Starlab received from NASA through the Commercial LEO Destinations Phase 1 program to transition activity from the International Space Station to commercial destinations.
Full development of Starlab is a GO! We recently cleared a major milestone in developing our commercial space station, successfully completing the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) in collaboration with NASA, an important step toward full-scale production.Completing the PDR and an exacting level 1 safety review signifies that Starlab's architecture, systems and integration plans are ready to advance the project toward certification. With this foundation, we are moving into the next phase: detailed design and hardware development, leading up to the Critical Design Review that will validate the station's readiness for astronaut activity and a smooth transition of microgravity science and research from the ISS.Read the full release here: https://bit.ly/4h1Eaqx
Over the next year, Starlab aims to: - 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 mock-up 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 the Optical Link Demo Mission, enhancing future deep-space communication capabilities. - Begin construction of Engineering Design Units and Protoflight hardware.
Starlab recently welcomed a distinguished Japanese delegation, including Hon. Takayuki Kobayashi, Hon. Akira Amari, Hon. Keitaro Ohno, and Hon. Karen Makishima, at our Texas facility. We were honored to share our insights on international collaboration post-ISS and to discuss Starlab’s crucial role in strengthening the partnership between the United States and Japan in this new era of commercial space stations.
At the 55th Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, the German Aerospace Center DLR and Starlab Space GmbH signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen our collaboration in the realm of space exploration and technology. This partnership will focus on:- Occupational Health and Emergency Medicine for Astronauts: (...)- Robotics and AI: (...)- Space Operations: (...)
