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Matthew Kuta, President of Voyager Space, expressed the company's ambitions in the evolving realm of commercial space. "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," Kuta stated. This venture, he explained, is enhanced by strategic alliances with Northrop Grumman and Hilton, as well as consistent progress in meeting crucial milestones, positioning Starlab at the forefront of commercial space endeavors.
The inception of this venture was announced in August 2023, when Voyager and Airbus revealed their plans to support continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit. This was envisioned as a transition from the International Space Station to a new era of microgravity science and research. Subsequently, in October 2023, Voyager expanded its collaboration by signing a teaming agreement with Northrop Grumman. This partnership is focused on developing autonomous rendezvous and docking technology for the Cygnus spacecraft, provided by Northrop Grumman, to facilitate cargo resupply for Starlab.
Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Space Systems at Airbus, highlighted the inspirational role of the International Space Station in fostering global cooperation in space. "Starlab will be no different," Nasr affirmed. He emphasized the joint venture's commitment to redefining the future of commercial space, aligning Starlab with European and American ambitions and shaping the future of humanity's endeavors in space.
Starlab is anticipated to establish not only a U.S.-based entity with authorization to operate within the United States and with U.S. government agencies but also a European affiliated joint venture. This European entity is expected to directly serve the European Space Agency and its member state space agencies, illustrating the venture's international scope.
Nanoracks LLC, a segment of Voyager's Exploration Segment, was awarded one of the three major Commercial LEO Destinations Space Act Agreements from NASA in December 2021. This agreement was a significant step towards the creation of Starlab, envisaged as a continuously crewed, free-flying space station catering to NASA and a global customer base. Over the past year, the Starlab team has advanced through multiple milestones, including the SDR and the station-level System Requirements Review, as well as the development of the on-orbit science park.
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