Starlab, meet Starship: Private space station buys SpaceX launch for later this decade
An artist's rendering of the Starlab space station in low Earth orbit.

A contract written in the stars.

Private station Starlab will fly on a Starship rocket later this decade to get to orbit, the companies developing both spacecraft announced on Wednesday.

Starlab — being built by Voyager Space and Airbus through a joint venture, alongside partners including Northrop Grumman and Hilton — is planned to launch on a single mission of SpaceX's mammoth rocket.

Starlab represents one of the earliest commercial customers to order a Starship launch from SpaceX. The companies did not disclose the launch contract's value.

The station is one of several currently in development by U.S. companies, as NASA prepares to retire the International Space Station in 2030.

Voyager and Airbus are targeting as early as 2028 for Starlab's launch. The space station's four-year development and construction timeline also gives SpaceX time to move forward with Starship, advancing from demonstration flights to launching customer spacecraft.