---
type: source
title: "Starlab Completes Commercial Critical Design Review, Enters Full-Scale Development"
author: "Space.com / Voyager Technologies"
url: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/human-spaceflight/private-starlab-space-station-moves-into-full-scale-development-ahead-of-2028-launch
date: 2026-02-26
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
priority: medium
tags: [commercial-stations, Starlab, Voyager, Airbus, CDR, design-review, 2028-launch]
---

## Content

Starlab Space LLC completed its Commercial Critical Design Review (CCDR) with NASA in February 2026, marking the transition from design phase to full-scale development. An expert panel from NASA and project partners reviewed the design and greenlit the station for detailed hardware development.

Next milestone: Critical Design Review (CDR) expected in 2026 (later in the year). Following CDR, Starlab moves into hardware fabrication.

Partnership structure: Voyager Technologies (prime, recently IPO'd NYSE:VOYG), Airbus (major systems partner), Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space (robotics), Palantir Technologies (operations/data), Northrop Grumman (integration). This is a deeply institutionalized consortium.

Timeline: 2028 launch on Starship (single flight). ISS deorbits 2031 — giving Starlab a 3-year operational window before it would need to be the replacement.

Station architecture: Inflatable habitat (Airbus contribution), designed for 12 simultaneous researchers/crew. Laboratory-focused — different positioning from Haven-1 (tourism focus) and Axiom Station (hybrid).

Development costs: $2.8-3.3B total projected. NASA Phase 1 funding: $217.5M. Texas Space Commission: $15M. Private capital from partnership consortium. Note: NASA Phase 2 frozen as of January 28, 2026.

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** Starlab's CCDR completion is a genuine milestone — it means the design is validated enough to move to hardware. For a 2028 launch target, CCDR in early 2026 is about right on schedule (CDR later in 2026, hardware fabrication 2026-2027, integration 2027-2028). The question is whether the $2.8-3.3B can be raised with NASA Phase 2 frozen.

**What surprised me:** The depth of the partnership consortium. Palantir for operations/data is an unusual choice — it suggests Starlab is positioning for defense/intelligence customer segments where Palantir already has relationships. The Northrop Grumman integration role suggests traditional aerospace engineering as the systems integrator.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Any clarity on funding gap from the Phase 2 freeze. Starlab received $217.5M in Phase 1; Phase 2 could have provided $500M-$750M+ (as one of multiple awardees in a $1-1.5B pool). Without Phase 2, the private consortium needs to raise more.

**KB connections:**
- [[commercial space stations are the next infrastructure bet as ISS retirement creates a void that 4 companies are racing to fill by 2030]] — Starlab is on track technically but faces the Phase 2 funding uncertainty
- [[products are crystallized imagination that augment human capacity beyond individual knowledge by embodying practical uses of knowhow in physical order]] — Starlab's inflatable habitat (Airbus) + robotics (MDA) + data (Palantir) is a crystallization of multiple knowledge networks

**Extraction hints:**
- "Starlab's CCDR completion in February 2026 establishes the only commercial station program that is simultaneously: (a) fully ISS-independent, (b) Starship-dependent for launch, and (c) institutionally backed by a multi-partner consortium with defense-adjacent positioning" — this is a distinctive market position claim
- Timeline risk: CDR in 2026, hardware 2026-2027, Starship ready by 2028 — the schedule has no buffer

**Context:** Starlab is the most complex and institutionally ambitious commercial station concept. Unlike Haven-1 (startup, Falcon 9, Dragon-dependent) or Axiom (ISS-attached modules), Starlab is designed as a fully independent, highly capable research platform, deployed in one shot. The Airbus partnership brings European space heritage.

## Curator Notes
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[commercial space stations are the next infrastructure bet as ISS retirement creates a void that 4 companies are racing to fill by 2030]]
WHY ARCHIVED: CCDR completion is a concrete milestone that validates Starlab's design maturity and 2028 timeline plausibility. Important context for the commercial station competitive landscape.
EXTRACTION HINT: Extract claim about Starlab's market positioning (defense/research, ISS-independent) vs. Haven-1 (tourism, Dragon-dependent) and Axiom (hybrid ISS-attached). This differentiation matters for predicting which programs survive Phase 2 freeze.
