Starlab Space completes preliminary design review for commercial space station
HOUSTON - Starlab Space LLC completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for its planned commercial space station, marking a key step in its development. The review, conducted in collaboration with NASA, confirms the station's architecture, systems, and integration plans are ready for further design and hardware development.
"This milestone confirms that our space station design is technically sound and safe for astronaut crewed operations," said Starlab CEO Tim Kopra. "Now, with our partners, we shift our focus to full-scale development, including manufacturing critical hardware and software integration."
Starlab's next steps include establishing a System Integration Lab, procuring materials, and developing a high-fidelity mock-up for astronaut training. The company is also expanding operations in Bremen, Germany, to support assembly and testing.
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"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."
Starlab is a joint venture among Voyager Technologies in Denver, Airbus in Leiden, Netherlands, Mitsubishi Corporation in Tokyo, Japan, and MDA Space in Brampton, Ontario.
The company has received $217.5 million from NASA under the Commercial LEO Destinations Phase 1 program, along with additional funding from the Texas Space Commission and international partners.
