ESA involvement in Starlab confirmed in new MoU

A joint venture between US firm Voyager Space and Airbus, Starlab is currently due to launch in 2028. According to ESA, the new agreement will ensure the space agency’s continued access to low Earth orbit (LEO) when the ISS is de-orbited in the early 2030s.

Alongside astronaut missions for ESA member states, the MoU promises ‘sustained long-term research activities’ and ‘commercial business development’ that could include advanced robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, and life sciences. The trilateral agreement, signed at the ESA Space Summit in Seville, also points to a potential ESA-developed European transportation system for both cargo and crew.

“ESA appreciates the transatlantic industry initiative for the commercial Starlab space station, and the potential that its strong European footprint holds for significant European industrial and institutional contributions to, and use of, said station,” said Josef Aschbacher, ESA director general. “Our teams are looking forward to working closely with the Starlab teams here in Europe and in the US.”