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Crossroads. The shape SpaceX.
Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink and I'm your host Will
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There's a collaborative effort going on between Voyager Space,
Airbus Space and Defense, and they've chosen Spacex's massive
Starship for an unprecedented single flight launch of the
commercial space station known as Star Lab.
Of This project aims to offer a new destination in low Earth
orbit before the International Space Station concludes its
operations in 20-30. Now the partnership with SpaceX
noted for its high frequency launches.
They've done over 100 launches last year and they are very
reliable. It's a huge step for commercial
spaceflight. They're leveraging the massive
amount of cargo space that Starship has and the unique
capability to deploy large payloads in one launch.
Now, the formation of Star Lab Space Joint Venture was
solidified early in January, building out a partnership
announced last August between Voyager and Airbus.
This collaboration pivoted from a previous engagement with
Lockheed Martin, steering towards a fresh direction with
Airbus to conceptualize Starlab, The design visions A
comprehensive space station incorporating a vast habitation
and laboratory module, supported by a service module for
essential functions like power and propulsion and life support,
all intended to be placed in orbit in one launch.
It took numerous launches to get the International Space Station
up and running, and if they can do this in one launch, this is
going to be a huge, huge win for commercial Space Flight.
Now the decision to utilize Spacex's Starship was
significantly influenced by the sheer size of Starlab.
It boasts a diameter of around 8 meters and the Starship itself
is around 9 meters, so it fits in there snugly, and it also
makes it incompatible with current launch vehicles except
for the Starship. The design choice not only shows
that the technical synergy between Starship and Starlab,
both featuring stainless steel construction, but also
highlights the logistical and economic advantages of avoiding
complex in orbit assembly or multiple launches.
Therefore, they're slashing manufacturing timelines and
launch cost dramatically. Now despite the apparent
collaboration, Spacex's involvement brings an
interesting dynamic as it positions itself both as a
partner and a potential competitor in the commercial
space station domain. Spacex's exploration under
NASA's collaborations for commercial space capabilities to
initiative to study Starship as a stand alone commercial station
adds layers to this multi faceted relationship, reflecting
the intricate web of cooperation and competition in the new space
economy. Now, echoing the enthusiasm for
this groundbreaking mission, Spacex's Tom Ocarino expressed
excitement for Starship's role in propelling Star Lab into
orbit. He said that the project is
advancing commercial space and its contribution to humanity's
sustainable presence in low Earth orbit cannot be
understated. This mission aligns with
Spacex's broader vision of facilitating multi planetary
existence, marking an important milestone in space exploration.
Now, the unique proposition of a single launch deployment stand
out as a critical factor in Starlab's business model,
eliminating the need for multiple launches and the
complexities of assembling components in space.
This approach not only simplifies logistics, but also
significantly reduces associated risks and costs, setting a new
precedent in space station deployment.
And with an anticipated launch window in 2028 just four years
away, Starlab is poised to offer a sizable platform for
microgravity research, accommodating a crew of four in
a module the rivals half the internal volume of the ISS.
The venture strategic partnerships and its appeal to
international astronauts, especially from Europe thanks to
Airbus's involvement, are poised to attract the diverse clientele
to this new orbital outpost. The recent addition of North of
Grumman to the STAR Lab consortium, tasked with
autonomous cargo deliveries via the Cigna spacecraft, along with
a significant financial endorsement from NASA, shows
that this project's robust infrastructure and the growing
ecosystem supporting commercial space stations is growing fast.
The SpaceX Starship, the chosen vehicle for STAR Labs launch, is
itself out of trajectory, filled with critical milestones,
including an upcoming integrated flight test, IFT 3, which should
be happening in the middle to late February of 2024.
Now the raucous development is closely watched not only for its
commercial obligations like STAR Lab, but also for its role in
NASA's Artemis 3 mission, which seeks to return humans to the
lunar surface in the coming decade.
Now the competitive landscape of private space stations is
heating up right now, with Starlab positioning itself among
a select group of ventures like Axiom Space, Jeff Bezos's Blue
Origin, and also Vast Space, each vying to offer viable
alternatives to the ISS. The potential human rated
configuration of Starship as a temporary space station also
adds another layer of complexity to this evolving sector.
They will have customers with Axiom Space, Blue Origin, Vast
Space and also Starlab, but they could logistically launch a
Starship to low Earth orbit and it becomes a space station
immediately and have life support.
Have everything on it, and you don't really need the other
space stations at that point. And you can also dock a Starship
to a space station to increase its capacity dramatically.
Now, NASA's support through initial funding to various
contenders, including Voyager space, shows that they're
working on fostering a new generation of low Earth orbit
habitats. With a forthcoming competition
slated to further narrow down the candidates.
The race to develop operational commercial space station is
entering a critical phase right now.
The overarching challenge for Starlab and its contemporaries
nice and cultivating A sustainable customer base beyond
NASA, essential for justifying the operational and logistical
costs of maintaining such facilities in orbit.
Hundreds of millions of dollars to run these things.
Now, this endeavor is not trivial considering the
historical financial commitments NASA made towards ISS
construction and the maintenance of that gigantic vehicle in
space. Now Starlab's partnership
structure, particularly the involvement of Airbus, we offer
a strategic advantage in appealing to European
stakeholders addressing concerns about the continuity of European
astronaut missions. Post ISS, this aspect could be
pivotal in ensuring Starlab's position as an attractive low
Earth orbit destination or a broad spectrum of international
partners. Now, the selection of Spacex's
Starship, or Starlab's deployment is a clear indicator
of the shifting paradigms in space exploration, where
collaboration across sectors and borders is key to achieving
ambitious goals. Now, the integration of Spacex's
launch capabilities with Starlab's innovative design
highlights the symbiotic relationships that are driving
the space industry forward. And the emphasis on a single
flight launch strategy by Starlab not only reflects a
technical logistical preference, but also a strategic maneuver to
streamline operations and minimize the financial and
operational complexities associated with space missions,
setting a new standard for future space station
deployments. Now, as Starlab's launch
countdown begins, the collaboration between Voyager,
Space, Airbus, and SpaceX shows that there's a new era coming in
space exploration, where innovation, partnership, and
strategic foresight converge to expand humanity's footprint in
the cosmos. And Starlab Space's selection of
Starship for a singular, monumental launch into orbit
will be an important evolution in space station technology and
commercial spaceflight. This collaboration heralds a new
chapter in humanity's quest for knowledge and presence in space,
promising to extend the legacy of the International Space
Station with the next generation platform for innovation,
research and exploration in the final frontier.
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