NASA, Lockheed Martin and Airbus will create a commercial space station Starlab, which will be able to move independently

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) continues to work on

orbital station project. It will be called Starlab (not to be confused with S.T.A.R. Labs from DC comics).

What is known

Starlab is a commercial station that willlaunched into low earth orbit. It is designed for four people and is focused on conducting experiments in space. One of the key features will be the presence of an engine that will allow it to move independently. Neither the International Space Station (ISS) nor China's Tiangong National Orbital Station can boast of this.

In December 2022, the space agencyannounced the allocation of $160 million for design work. It has now become known that the European aviation concern Airbus has joined the Starlab development program. Also participating in the project are Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin. The first is looking for new sources of funding. It was she who was able to attract Airbus to the project. Lockheed is a technical partner of Starlab.

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The volume of the future orbital station will be 340cube meters. It will consist of a docking station, a robotic arm, and a GWC compartment in which experiments will be carried out. Engine power will be 60 kW. Starlab's launch to low Earth orbit has been pushed back by a year and is now scheduled for 2028.