The International Space Station (ISS) could not orbit the Earth forever. It is no longer a mystery, she will retire by 2030. But, now, everything is in working order so that astronauts, particularly Europeans, continue to push the limits of Science suspended in orbit.
This Thursday in Seville, the European Space Agency (ESA) has entered into an agreement with Airbus Defense and Space (ADS) and the American company Voyager Space, who want to build and operate the space station together Starlab – private therefore –, which will partly take over from the ISS. It must be put into orbit during a single launch, around 2028. It will have a diameter of eight meters, almost twice that of the ISS, but half its volume.
To continue research activities
“This agreement reflects ESA’s ambition to enable a smooth transition of the International Space Station to the sustainable operation of human and robotic infrastructure in low Earth orbit after 2030, including through commercial services,” says the agency in a press release.
This collaboration provides “access to Starlab for ESA and its Member States for astronaut missions and sustained long-term research activities”, contributions to research projects, particularly in the life sciences. and robotics, as well as the establishment of a “complete ecosystem” ensuring that the station can accommodate a future manned or cargo vessel developed by the ESA, specifies Airbus in a press release.
An American-Italian competitor
The American Voyager Space was awarded $160 million by NASA to develop the station and then created, in August, a joint venture with Airbus, Starlab Space, to build and operate it. The president of Airbus Defense and Space, Michael Schoellhorn, then recognized that Airbus’ participation, by ensuring European involvement in this project, aimed in particular to “attract the ESA and the Member States” as future customers.
The ESA also does not intend to put all its astronauts in the same orbital basket. On October 1, it concluded a similar agreement with Axiom Space, which is also developing a station with the support of NASA and the industrial participation of the Franco-Italian Thales Alenia Space.