NASA actively prepares the future beyond the International Space Station (ISS) by encouraging the development of a commercial orbit commercial market. The agency recently announced that Starlab, one of the commercial space stations it supports, has successfully crossed five key stages in terms of development and design.
This progress marks a crucial step in the NASA strategy aimed at moving from the status of operator from a space station to that of customers among others for orbit services. NASA is currently facilitating the design and development of several commercial space stations.
While we are working on the future of the low terrestrial orbit, these stages demonstrate Starlab’s commitment to build a commercial space station capable of supporting human life and advancing scientific research. – Angela HartResponsible for the commercial development program for the NASA low terrestrial orbit.
After having passed the preliminary design and security exams, the Starlab project will now go to the detailed design and the development of the equipment. The next important step is a critical review of the design, provided for in the course of the year, which will assess the maturity of the design before construction can begin.
The most tangible sign of the progress made, the company began to build a life-size and high-fidelity model of the station. This model will be installed at the NASA Johnson space center in Houston, where it will be used for “human in the loop” tests in order to assess the formation of the crew, the interior design and the flight procedures. The Starlab project consists of a habitat and a service module that will be put in orbit during a single launch.
