Voyager Technologies ($VOYG), the majority shareholder of Starlab Space, has tapped Vivace Corp. to manufacture the primary structure of Starlab’s commercial space station.
The announcement places Starlab one step closer to launching the potential ISS replacement to orbit in 2029, and Voyager expects Vivace to complete the initial test structures by the end of the year.
Titanic proportions: When selecting the manufacturing partner for Starlab’s primary structure, Voyager needed an organization with the experience building big things.
To complete the project, Vivace intends to use NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans—which manufactured the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis II mission.
“We’re building a really big structure. And what place has the lock on building a space-rated, human-rated structure of that size? Well, if you look at MAF, the Michoud Assembly Facility, you’ll see that that capability exists there,” Starlab CEO Marshall Smith told Payload.
Starlab’s primary structure is planned to be about 8 m in diameter, just smaller than the core stage of the 8.4 m diameter SLS rocket. At this size, Starlab will offer about 40% of the pressurized volume of the ISS.
Bigger is better: By committing to such a large structure, Starlab is betting on a very different strategy compared to other commercial LEO stations in the works.
For comparison, Vast’s Haven-1 module, which is expected to fly next year, has a diameter of 4.4 m. As a precursor to a larger station Vast is planning, Haven-1 will spend a significant amount of its time on-orbit uncrewed.
Smith told Payload that committing to a larger station will give Starlab the capacity for continuous crewed habitation from the get-go, and the ability to perform most of its maintenance from the inside of the vehicle—lessening the need for spacewalks.
“We have tremendous capability to support research—all of NASA’s desires, as well as industry and commercial,” Smith said. “We’re not going to build stuff and let it go to waste. We’re going to build the systems that we’re building, and then make sure it’s permanently crewed right from the beginning.”
No vacancy: While competition is strong to be the optimal replacement for the ISS once it’s decommissioned in the 2030s, Voyager and Smith are confident that the larger Starlab is the most capable option.
To date, NASA has awarded Starlab $217.5M to develop its space station, and Voyager has said that the program is designed to generate decades of free cash flow by offering governments and commercial customers ample space to develop advanced materials, test in-space technologies, and conduct scientific research. However, Smith maintained that there’s room for more than one station to succeed in the long run.
“I think in the short term there will be winners and losers,” Smith said. “[With] lower pricing you’re going to see this whole [sector] grow dramatically, but again, the initial take, my guess is probably two or maybe three stations’ worth, depending upon their size and what they’re capable of doing.”
