When will the ISS be retired?

The International Space Station is currently scheduled to be retired around 2030, with deorbit operations planned shortly after. Commercial stations like Starlab are expected to take over LEO research before then.

Starlab is built by Starlab Space, a joint venture between Voyager Space and Airbus, with additional international partners.

Can private astronauts visit Starlab?

Yes. Commercial stations like Starlab are designed to host private and government astronauts, sponsored research missions, and short-duration commercial flights — broader access than the ISS allowed.

Starlab: A Preview of the Commercial Space Station Replacing Part of the ISS

The International Space Station is scheduled for retirement around 2030. To keep humans in low-Earth orbit, NASA seeded multiple commercial space station programs through its Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program. Starlab — built by Voyager Space and Airbus — is one of the most mature concepts and now headed toward orbit.

What is Starlab?

Starlab is a single-module commercial space station designed to launch in one piece on a heavy-lift rocket. Unlike the ISS, which assembled over decades from many modules, Starlab is engineered to deploy ready-to-use, dramatically reducing assembly time and cost.

Starlab specifications

Pressurized volume: ~340 cubic meters
Crew capacity: 4 astronauts continuous
Power: Substantial solar array generation
Launch: Single launch on heavy-lift rocket
Operator: Starlab Space (Voyager Space + Airbus joint venture)
First launch target: Late 2020s

What Starlab will do

Continuing microgravity science research after ISS retirement
Pharmaceutical and materials manufacturing in microgravity
Astronaut training and short-duration commercial flights
In-space technology demonstrations
International partner missions and dedicated research bays

Starlab vs other commercial stations

Starlab: Single-launch monolithic module — Voyager + Airbus
Orbital Reef: Modular station — Blue Origin + Sierra Space
Axiom Station: Modules attach to ISS, then detach to fly free — Axiom Space
Haven-1 / Haven-2: Smaller-scale stations — Vast

Why this matters

For 25 years, the ISS has been the only continuously-crewed orbital outpost. Without successor stations, US and partner crewed presence in LEO would end. The CLD program is the bridge — and Starlab is one of the leading vehicles for that future.

Timeline

Starlab is targeting first launch in the late 2020s, with operational research missions to follow shortly after. Starship-class launchers make single-piece deployment of a station this large practical for the first time.