SpaceX’s giant spacecraft is used to launch the massive steel Starlab space station

Starlab Space’s upcoming space station is so big and heavy that only the formidable SpaceX Starship megarocket can launch it into orbit, but the option of on-time delivery comes with distinct benefits.

Starlab Space, like many other commercial companies, is racing to launch a commercial space station into orbit in anticipation of the arrival of the International Space Station. Retirement in 2030. The company, a joint venture between Colorado-based Voyager Space and Europe’s Airbus, announced Wednesday that it has acquired a launch provider for the mission, and it’s a company you may have heard of.

Of course, it’s SpaceX. The Elon Musk-led aerospace company will use its Starship megarocket for the lifting operations required due to the size and weight of the space station, called the eponymous Starlab. “SpaceX’s history of success and reliability led our team to select Starship to launch into orbit. Starlab,’ Voyager Space President and CEO Dylan Taylor said in a statementAdding that “Starlab will be launched into orbit in a single flight by Starship.”

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Big rockets let you do big things. In this case, they make it possible to launch an eight-meter (26-foot) wide space station constructed of stainless steel. Revealing these specifications at a German technology exhibition last November, Manfred Jaumann, vice president of low-Earth orbit and suborbital programs at Airbus, said Starlab would be too large and too large for any launch vehicle currently in service or in development. Would be heavy, except starship, like SpaceNews reportsStarlab’s exact weight is not yet known. But Starship, also made of stainless steel (I feel like it’s a fetish), is planned to lift 150 metric tons to low Earth orbit, a destination also known as LEO.

Of course, Starship isn’t ready for prime time yet. The megarocket has completed two test flights so far, and a third is planned for February. Determining an exact timeline for operational flight certification of the rocket is difficult given its highly experimental nature. Powered by 33 Raptor engines, this two-stage rocket is the largest and most powerful ever built and is designed for full reusability.

Upon reaching LEO in 2028, Starlab will be fully equipped for trouble-free operations on the ground, eliminating the need for space rendezvous. , saving time and cost. Voyager Space President Matt Kuta as Said Payload: “The importance of a single launch into orbit, not two, three or four, in closing the deal cannot be underestimated. Plan.”

Once operational, Starlab will host a crew of four astronauts who will carry out a series of experiments. Using its orbital position, these experiments will take advantage of conditions such as microgravity and exposure to the radioactive space environment. Starlab Space intends to use the station to serve space agencies such as NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), various researchers, and commercial companies.

Over the past year, the Starlab team has achieved important milestones such as Human in the Loop testing as well as system requirements and definition reviews. The company is planning collaborations with ESA, Hilton Hotels and Ohio State University. Starlab space has recently undergone significant changes; Lockheed Martin has been replaced by Northrop Grumman., which will provide its autonomous Cygnus spacecraft for cargo missions. Given the needs of its future space station, NASA has supported this initiative. By $217.5 million investment In consortium.

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