Initial advances towards tomorrow's space station
New Space Station StarLab Set to Launch in 2028
NASA is looking towards the future, transitioning away from the International Space Station (ISS) towards the next generation of continuously crewed, free-flying space stations. One such station, StarLab, is set to launch as early as 2028.
StarLab, designed by Airbus in partnership with Voyager Space, aims to serve the scientific community and provide a foundation for continued international cooperation in space. The station is intended to expand and engage international participation and customer support, with the goal of creating an advanced infrastructure in space and accelerating a sustainable ecosystem.
StarLab is designed to be a fully integrated modular station, launching in a single flight by SpaceX's Starship. It will initially dock with the ISS before becoming fully independent, aiming to be operational ahead of the ISS’s planned retirement around 2030.
The station will include a habitat and laboratory module with onboard AI-enabled systems to support operations, research, and astronaut well-being. It is designed to provide 100 percent of the International Space Station's payload capacity, allowing for over 400 experiments or technical investigations per year.
Airbus has extensive expertise in human spaceflight, having worked on the ISS since its launch in 1998. The research conducted on the ISS is crucial for missions to the Moon, Mars, and exploration of the universe.
Starlab's vision is to create a better future for humanity in space and on Earth. The planned timeline for the launch and operation of the StarLab space station targets a launch year of 2028. The station will be a significant step forward in space exploration, providing a foundation for continued research and international cooperation.
Astronauts have been living and working aboard the ISS since 1998, and the station has already surpassed its original lifetime of 15 years. The ISS is scheduled to be deorbited towards the end of this decade, and StarLab aims to fill the commercial low Earth orbit station role before or shortly after this date to ensure continuity of human presence and research in orbit.
Starlab's design has passed NASA safety and design reviews and is building full-scale mock-ups for astronaut testing as part of pre-launch preparations in 2025. The station's large size and complexity require the heavy-lift capability of SpaceX Starship, with the launch scheduled no earlier than 2027 but the current aggressive schedule pointing to an actual launch in 2028.
In conclusion, StarLab is set to be a game-changer in space exploration, providing a foundation for continued international cooperation and research in space. The station's planned launch in 2028 will ensure the continuity of human presence and research in low Earth orbit well into the 2030s, positioning it as a successor and competitor to other private stations and a commercial successor to the ISS.
- The StarLab space station, launched in 2028, will be designed to serve the scientific community, particularly in the fields of science, space-and-astronomy, and technology.
- The StarLab space station, set to fill the commercial low Earth orbit station role, will provide a foundation for advanced infrastructure in space, fostering a sustainable ecosystem and international cooperation in these areas.
