The International Space Station (ISS) isn’t going to last forever, and there’s already talk of retiring the aging laboratory. It looks like the next era of human space habitation will be led by commercial entities like Starlab Space, a joint venture of Voyager Space and Airbus. The company’s inflatable Starlab station is taking shape, and the company has announced that it has chosen SpaceX to launch the station with the Starship megarocket. That vehicle is still in development, but Starlab Space says it expects to be operational before the ISS is decommissioned.
Because Starlab is an inflatable design, it can be stowed in a relatively small volume during launch. The compressed module will measure about 26 feet (8 meters) in diameter, which happens to be the same size as Starship’s payload bay. Starship is going to be a huge rocket, but regardless, it will be impressive if it can carry an entire space station into orbit all at once.
Starlab Space says the station will provide an opportunity to transition microgravity research from the ISS to Starlab seamlessly. The station will inflate to a total volume of 450 cubic meters, which is roughly half the size of the ISS. However, the ISS did take years and more than 40 launches to assemble fully, which added billions of dollars to the cost. Starlab will have everything fully integrated, including laboratory spaces, living quarters, a propulsion module, and a 60kW solar power system.
The ISS has been humanity’s home in space for more than 20 years, which is impressive in itself. The ISS required the cooperation of space agencies in multiple countries, and even when relations between Russia and the US deteriorated, crews continued to work together on the station. Starlab won’t have this built-in international alliance—it’s a commercial project that will lease space to governments, companies, and research organizations. The ESA has already agreed to rent out part of Starlab once it’s operational. Russia and China are expected to go their own ways.
Starship has launched twice with moderate success, but it’s a long way from orbit.
Credit: SpaceX
Going with SpaceX makes sense for Starlab, given the almost hand-in-glove fit. This also gives Starlab Space time to get the kinks worked out. Starship is currently in development as well, and it’s been slow going compared with the timelines suggested by CEO Elon Musk. The first two test flights ended early when the booster and vehicle itself experienced “rapid unplanned disassembly,” as SpaceX likes to say.
Previously, Starlab Space said it hoped to launch in 2028 to begin offering leasing in 2029. That’s still a potentially workable date, depending on SpaceX. This timeframe also jives with the company’s intent to get Starlab operational before the ISS is retired. NASA says that is currently planned for 2030.
