Starlab will be able to fit within a single Starship rocket despite having half the volume of the ISS.
In light of the fact that the International Space Station (ISS) is not going to exist indefinitely, there is already discussion about retiring the aged laboratory. There is a strong possibility that commercial organizations, such as Starlab Space, which is a partnership between Voyager Space and Airbus, will be the driving force behind the next phase of human living in space. The inflatable Starlab station that the firm is developing is beginning to take shape, and the corporation has revealed that it has selected SpaceX to launch the station using the Starship megarocket. The development of the vehicle is still ongoing, however Starlab Space has stated that it anticipates having it operational before the International Space Station is dismantled.
By virtue of the fact that Starlab has an inflatable design, it is possible to store it in a very small volume prior to its launch. The diameter of the compressed module will be around 26 feet (8 meters), which is roughly the same as the size of the payload bay on the Starship. Starship is going to be a massive rocket, but regardless of its size, it will be remarkable if it is capable of delivering a full space station into orbit at the same time or more.
According to Starlab Space, the station will make it possible to make a smooth transfer from the International Space Station (ISS) to Starlab for the field of microgravity research. Approximately half the size of the International Space Station, the station will expand to a total volume of 450 cubic meters when it is fully inflated. It did, however, take years and more than forty missions to fully assemble the International Space Station, which resulted in an increase in cost of billions of dollars. In Starlab, everything will be completely integrated, including living quarters, laboratory rooms, a propulsion module, and a solar power system with a capacity of sixty kilowatt dollars.
It is remarkable that the International Space Station (ISS) has served as the human race’s home in space for more than twenty years. Despite the deterioration of relations between Russia and the United States, personnel continued to operate together on the International Space Station (ISS). This was necessary because the ISS required the participation of space agencies from multiple countries. Because Starlab is a commercial project, it will lease space to other groups, including research organizations, enterprises, and governments. This worldwide alliance will not be a part of Starlab already. Already, the European Space Agency has consented to rent out a portion of Starlab once it is fully operational. The expectation is that Russia and China will go their separate ways.
Starlab would be wise to go with SpaceX because of the almost perfect compatibility between the two companies. At the same time, this provides Starlab Space with the opportunity to iron out any flaws. As for Starship, it is also still in the process of being developed, and in comparison to the timetables that CEO Elon Musk has indicated, it has been moving at a snail’s pace. The first two test flights were terminated prematurely due to what SpaceX refers to as “rapid unplanned disassembly,” which occurred during both the booster and the vehicle at the same time.
In the past, Starlab Space expressed its desire to launch in the year 2028 and to start providing lease services in the year 2029. Depending on SpaceX, that continues to be a date that has the potential to be feasible. This timescale is also consistent with the company’s intention to get Starlab operational prior to the retirement of the International Space Station. It is currently scheduled for the year 2030, according to NASA.