Airbus, ESA, Voyager Space Plan Starlab, an Alternative to International Space Station

The European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus Defence and Space, and Voyager Space have officially joined forces with the signing of a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ESA Space Summit in Seville.

The agreement solidifies their commitment to collaborating on the development and utilization of the Starlab space station, marking a significant stride in European space exploration in the post-International Space Station (ISS) era.

The MoU, unveiled during the summit, highlights the shared objective of fostering science and technology development while exploring collaborative opportunities in low-Earth orbit (LEO) destinations following the ISS.

Key aspects of the collaboration include:

Sustained Access to Space: The partners will explore opportunities for Europe to have sustained access to space through the Starlab space station. This access extends to astronaut missions, long-term research activities, and commercial business development.

Research Projects and Technological Advancements: The collaboration aims to contribute to research projects on upcoming missions, leveraging European technology in fields such as advanced robotics, automation/artificial intelligence, and promoting European science priorities like health and life sciences.

Complete 'End-to-End' Ecosystem: The partners envision establishing a comprehensive 'end-to-end' ecosystem, comprising the Starlab space station as a low-Earth orbit destination. This would be complemented by a potential European Transportation System (cargo and crew), utilizing standardized interfaces to facilitate an open access policy.

The collaboration builds on the successful history of cooperation between ESA and Airbus in developing and operating various spacecraft, including the International Space Station Columbus Module, Automated Transfer Vehicles, and the European Service Module for NASA's Artemis missions.

In August 2023, Voyager and Airbus announced a transatlantic joint venture to support a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit. Starlab, expected to have a European affiliated joint venture, aims to directly serve the European Space Agency and its member state space agencies, ensuring Europe's leadership in the new era of commercial space exploration.