Starlab
Proposed commercial successor to the International Space Station being developed by Voyager Space and Airbus.
Last refreshed: 6 April 2026
Who builds the space station after the ISS retires, and where does Canada fit?
Latest on Starlab
- What is Starlab space station and who is building it?
- Starlab is a commercial space station being developed by Voyager Space and Airbus under NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations programme, intended as one of the successors to the ISS after its planned 2030 retirement.Source: NASA CLD / Voyager Space
Background
Starlab is a proposed commercial space station being developed by Voyager Space and Airbus as a successor to the International Space Station. It emerged in the Artemis II coverage as one of the target platforms for MDA Space's Skymaker commercial robotic arm product line, signalling the private sector is already positioning for the post-ISS orbital market.
NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) programme has awarded development contracts to multiple station concepts, including Starlab. The agency intends to retire the ISS by 2030 and transition to commercially operated platforms. Starlab's pairing of Voyager's operational expertise with Airbus's aerospace engineering represents one of the most credible European-involved bids for the post-ISS orbital slot.
Starlab's appearance in the Artemis II narrative reflects how the commercial space economy is being built in parallel to the government lunar programme. The same robotic technologies being refined on Canadarm3 for Lunar Gateway are being pitched for Starlab, collapsing the boundary between the cislunar and LEO markets.