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WASHINGTON — Voyager Technologies says it is ready should NASA change plans for supporting development of commercial space stations.
In March, NASA outlined a proposed new direction for its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations, or CLD, program. The agency, outlining its concerns that a commercial market for space stations had not emerged, said it was considering instead procuring a new “core module” for the International Space Station that commercial modules could attach to as a precursor to standalone stations.
NASA sought input on those plans through a request for information that closed last month, and companies are waiting for the agency to decide whether to take that new path for the CLD program or maintain its original approach to backing the development of one or more stations intended to be ready before the ISS is retired at the end of the decade.
During a May 5 earnings call about its first-quarter financial results, Dylan Taylor, chief executive of Voyager, said its Starlab Space joint venture was prepared for either option. Voyager holds a majority stake in the joint venture, which also includes Airbus, MDA Space, Mitsubishi and others.
“We’re still very, very optimistic about Starlab in the program, because either direction NASA takes, whether it’s a core module with commercial modules attached, or it’s commercial free flyers, we think we have the technology and, in particular, the market traction to service both those models,” he said.
He didn’t elaborate on the alternative approach Starlab would offer should NASA pursue development of a core module. Some in industry have criticized the core module concept, suggesting it would take the better part of a decade to develop and use resources that could instead be spent on backing commercial stations.
Taylor highlighted the strong commercial demand Starlab has previously stated it has seen for the station, including oversubscribed payload accommodations.
“We were already at 130% of commercial demand capacity spoken for on Starlab, and that commercial demand could translate to a different solution if NASA goes a different path,” he said.
Phil de Sousa, chief financial officer, said that Starlab should start recording commercial revenue as soon as 2027 through activities such as training for future missions to the station as well as converting payload reservations into contracts. Work on Starlab has been supported so far by the companies along with a NASA Space Act Agreement, which provided $24 million to Voyager in the first quarter as it completed four milestones.
Taylor left the door open for Starlab to develop its station without NASA support when asked by an analyst if there was a “third option” beyond the current CLD plans and the alternative proposed by NASA.
“I think we’re very well positioned for CLD Phase 2, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we could independently finance this,” he said.
However, he argued it would not be necessary given the need NASA and other ISS partners will have for space station capabilities once the ISS is retired, adding that while there are proposals to extend the life of the ISS from 2030 to 2032, he was skeptical its retirement could be further delayed.
“Could we capitalize this independent of NASA? I don’t think that’s going to end up having to be the case,” he said. “Even if we were to go it alone, so to speak, and actually build Starlab, I would still anticipate that major space agencies around the world would be an important part of that.”