Voyager Space and Airbus deepen tie-up on new space station
Reuters
Published Aug 02, 2023 07:13AM ET
By Tim Hepher and Joey Roulette
PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. space venture company Voyager Space and Airbus (EPA:AIR) said on Wednesday they will co-operate more closely in the race to build a private version of the International Space Station.
The two companies announced plans in January for Airbus to provide design support for Voyager's Starlab, one of three projects pre-selected by NASA to draw up plans for a potential commercial successor to the ISS.
On Wednesday, they said Airbus would become a core partner in a newly planned venture to develop, build, and operate the orbital research post, expanding Europe's role in the project.
The size of the shareholdings and financial details were not disclosed. Voyager Space also declined to discuss funding plans.
Starlab is one of three private concepts designed to replace the aging ISS, a football field-sized orbital laboratory that has continuously housed crews for more than 22 years.
The original blueprint for Starlab included an inflatable habitat designed by Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT).
But following a decision to switch to a metallic structure, Lockheed's role has effectively been superseded by Airbus, which built the Columbus module for the ISS.
"Lockheed will likely still have a role to play somewhere within the supply chain," Dylan Taylor, CEO of Voyager Space told reporters. Lockheed remains an important customer for Voyager and Starlab will remain U.S.-led, he added.
"There will be contributions coming from Europe, but there will definitely be an assembly and large contributions coming from the U.S."
Voyager, through its subsidiary Nanoracks, won $160 million from NASA in 2021 to support Starlab development under the agency's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development programme.
Axiom Space and a team led by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin are developing rival stations under the programme.
NASA has planned to retire the ISS in 2030 and rely on private companies to host its scientific research in low-Earth orbit, but agency officials have acknowledged it may need to extend the lifespan as private replacements take shape.
Voyager Space and Airbus have said Starlab would deploy in 2028, but backed away from a specific timeline on Wednesday.
Get The News You Want
"It will occur before the ISS decommissioning; we're highly confident of that. Whether it's going to be late 2027, early 2028, or late 2028 we're still working out those details," Taylor said.
The two companies expect to announce a launch provider in coming months.
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.