Jamie Bennet
Voyager Space and Northrop Grumman have unveiled plans to collaborate to enhance the capabilities of the Starlab space station and Cygnus spacecraft.
The teaming agreement involves developing a fully autonomous rendezvous docking system to upgrade Cygnus and use it in Starlab missions, Voyager said Wednesday.
Starlab was designed by Nanoracks as a free-flying low-Earth orbit space station for commercial activities. It will be constructed and operated by Voyager Space’s joint venture with Airbus Defence and Space and will launch in 2028.
Northrop’s Cygnus vehicle currently serves as a replacement for the American Space Shuttle in resupplying the International Space Station.
Voyager and Northrop have committed to enhancing Cygnus to enable the delivery of pressurized air cargo to Starlab for an initial period of five years.
“We are fully committed to the future of commercial LEO. Our new role with Starlab supports NASA’s initiatives to encourage commercial space station development as part of a growing LEO economy,” said Steve Krein, vice president of civil and commercial space at Northrop.
