Starlab Space Station Explained: Design, Payload Lab, Partners and Status

Starlab is a commercial space station designed to replace the International Space Station in one piece: a single launch on SpaceX's Starship instead of years of assembly. It is developed by Starlab Space, a joint venture led by Voyager Technologies with Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir Technologies and Space Applications Services. Starlab completed its Commercial Critical Design Review with NASA in February 2026 and is now in manufacturing. It is planned for four crew at a time and 13 internal payload platforms.

This guide covers the design, the laboratory, the partners, where the project stands in October 2026 and how researchers and companies can reserve payload space. The figures come from Starlab Space, NASA and ESA. To compare transport to low Earth orbit or send a cargo request, see cargo transport on Carrier Space.

Starlab at a glance

Developer: Starlab Space LLC, Houston. CEO: Marshall Smith.
Joint venture: Voyager Technologies, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir Technologies and Space Applications Services. Strategic partners include Hilton, Journey, Northrop Grumman and The Ohio State University.
Size: 17 m tall and 7.7 m wide.
Crew: four continuously, up to eight during crew handover.
Orbit: circular, 500 km altitude, 45° inclination.
Launch: single launch on Starship, with no assembly in orbit.
Payloads: 13 internal payload platforms with capacity for 130 middeck locker equivalents (MDLEs), plus two external platforms for nine payloads each.
Status: Commercial Critical Design Review completed, announced 23 February 2026.

Design: one launch, six decks

NASA describes Starlab's design as a service module and a habitat that launch together on a single flight. Starlab says this single-launch, no-assembly architecture allows certification and operational readiness within weeks of launch. That is the main difference from stations that grow module by module, such as the ISS or Axiom Station.

Inside, the metallic habitat is stacked in decks, from a utility bay (deck 00) and a systems deck (01) through the internal payload laboratory (02), crew habitation (03) and three stowage decks (04 to 06). Starlab gives the floor space as roughly 1,560 square feet across six floors. Other features listed by the company:

Three docking ports for visiting vehicles.
MDA SKYMAKER robotic arm to move unpressurized cargo and payloads, and for maintenance and observation.
Bishop airlock: a large science airlock with a slide table to move payloads between inside and outside. Voyager already operates a Bishop airlock on the ISS.
Regenerative life support (ECLSS) and large windows.
Power and propulsion: continuous power generation, heat rejection and station propulsion in the service section.

The laboratory

For customers, the payload laboratory is the core of Starlab:

Internal Payload Laboratory: 13 Internal Payload Platforms on two decks, total capacity 130 MDLEs, with modular power, thermal control and high-speed data. Facilities include biological research, a glovebox, a workbench and an optical analysis bench with vibration isolation.
External Payload Laboratory: two External Payload Platforms on the port and starboard sides, each hosting up to nine payloads, with views toward ram, wake, nadir, zenith, port and starboard. Payloads are installed robotically through the airlock and arm.
Typical external payloads: laser communication terminals, cameras, edge computing, Earth observation telescopes and materials research; larger ones such as furnaces and chip manufacturing.

Starlab states that the station supports 100 % of the ISS's payload capacity. That is the company's own comparison; NASA has not published a figure for it.

How payload integration is planned

Starlab describes a three-step process: submit the payload proposal through an online portal, follow an automated preparation and integration plan with the aim of being launch-ready in under one year, then operate the payload in real time from a "User Home Base" connected to Starlab Mission Control. Until Starlab flies, the company says customers can already run research on the ISS through its joint venture partners.

Starlab says its initial commercial payload space is booked above capacity, by biopharma, advanced materials and semiconductor companies. One published example: on 29 September 2026 Starlab announced a payload reservation from Elethron for an autonomous materials-processing platform for semiconductor crystals, planned for a six-month pilot.

Agencies and international access

NASA: Starlab has developed under a NASA Space Act Agreement since 2021. The February 2026 design review supported the 28th milestone of that agreement. Northrop Grumman joined Starlab in 2023 to provide cargo logistics with its Cygnus spacecraft, and NASA reviewed Starlab's Cygnus docking system design.
NASA's next step: NASA released its final Request for Proposals for commercial stations on 9 October 2026. Proposals are due on 8 December 2026, with awards expected in spring 2027.
ESA: in September 2026 Starlab and ESA signed a Letter of Intent with preliminary terms for possible ESA astronaut missions, payload use and European operations aboard Starlab. ESA called it non-exclusive and said any next steps depend on its Member States. Details are in our article on ESA's agreements with Axiom and Starlab.
United Nations: on 1 October 2026 Starlab said it intends to make payload and research capacity available for programmes led by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), under its Access to Space for All initiative. A call for interest was planned for IAC 2026; any offer still needs formal arrangements.
Crew experience: NASA has selected Voyager Technologies for the seventh private astronaut mission to the ISS, targeted for no earlier than 2028.

Starlab vs Axiom Station

Build approach: Starlab launches complete on one Starship. Axiom Station is built from modules; Axiom plans the first for 2028 and the second less than a year later.
Crew: both are planned for four crew; Starlab adds up to eight during handover.
Partners: Starlab is a multinational joint venture with Airbus and Mitsubishi. Axiom Station's structures are built by Thales Alenia Space.
Funding outlook: both depend on NASA's awards expected in spring 2027 as well as on commercial customers.

For the full field, including Vast's Haven-1 and Blue Origin's Orbital Reef, read who is building the commercial space stations.

What to do if you need microgravity access

Now: use the ISS, which is scheduled to operate until 2030. See how to send an experiment to the ISS.
For Starlab: contact Starlab early. Its pages state the first year of payload space is already oversubscribed.
Plan the logistics: ask how your hardware gets up and, if needed, back. Cargo options are compared in space station cargo vehicles compared.

FAQ

Who owns Starlab?

Starlab Space is a joint venture of Voyager Technologies, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir Technologies and Space Applications Services, led from the United States.

How will Starlab be launched?

In a single Starship flight, as one complete station with no assembly in orbit, according to Starlab.

How many astronauts can live on Starlab?

Four continuously and up to eight for short periods during crew handover.

What orbit will Starlab fly in?

A circular orbit at 500 km altitude and 45° inclination, according to Starlab's station page.

How much payload space does Starlab have?

13 internal platforms with capacity for 130 middeck locker equivalents, plus two external platforms for nine payloads each.

Is Starlab funded by NASA?

Starlab has a NASA Space Act Agreement from 2021 with milestone payments. NASA's next round of awards for commercial stations is expected in spring 2027.

Sources

Cover image: The Earth's limb with parts of the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm and solar arrays, photographed by NASA astronaut Nick Hague on 2 May 2019. Credit: NASA