Denver/Toulouse (dpa/d.de) – Airbus involved in private space station which could replace the aging ISS. The European aircraft manufacturer and aerospace business intends to contribute to the development, construction and operation of the Starlab station from the US company Voyager Space. The plans include setting up a joint venture, as Voyager Space and Airbus announced on Wednesday. Engineers at Airbus’ space division in Bremen are already working on a design for a space station measuring 8m in diameter after being awarded a development contract from Voyager Space in late 2022, one newspaper has reported.
According to current plans, Starlab will be assembled in orbit in 2028, where it will provide space for various research laboratories. The International Space Station (ISS) is to be gradually disassembled at the end of the decade and allowed to crash. This partnership would also benefit European space travel, says Michael Schöllhorn, head of Airbus’ space division. “Another reason we’re doing this is to bring the European Space Agency (ESA) and the member states along with us.”
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