The idea of a space station “Starlab”
Nanoracks
PARIS – Giant hotel Hilton signed on to design space travel facilities for the private space station Starlab which is currently being developed by Voyager Space Holdings and Lockheed Martinthe companies told CNBC on Monday.
In addition to designing hotel suites and sleeping arrangements, Hilton will also work with Voyager to review space station marketing opportunities and astronaut experiences on board.
Voyager President and CEO Dylan Taylor, speaking to CNBC at the 2022 International Astronautical Congress, said he’s excited by the “unique perspective” Hilton brings to the project because “they’re not space people.”
“It’s almost like looking at it with new eyes and saying, ‘How do we re-imagine this experience,'” Taylor said, adding that he considers it “a little bit beneficial.” position “. The partnership marks the first of its kind between private terminals in development, although both the space and hospitality sectors have long envisioned the possibility of a hotel in the world. trajectory.
“For decades, discoveries in space have positively impacted life on Earth, and now Hilton will have the opportunity to use this unique environment to improve the visitor experience anywhere. where people travel,” Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said in a statement.
Voyager and its operating company Nanoracks are developing the free-flying Starlab space station in partnership with Lockheed Martin. The companies aim to have the first Starlab operational in low Earth orbit as early as 2027.
The space station is one in four built by US companies with help from NASA contracts as the agency prepares to decommission the International Space Station (ISS) in 2030. Under NASA’s commercial LEO Destination program, Nanoracks has been awarded individual contracts. largest in the program, worth $160 million, to support the creation of Starlab.
Taylor said the partnership with Hilton dates back to a relationship that began with “cookies in space” in early 2020, when astronauts on the ISS baked DoubleTree chocolate cookies as the first experiment. Bake food in space.
Taylor said Voyager sees a strong market opportunity for Starlab in its scientific and research services, as well as human spaceflight.
Voyager expects to begin production of the first Starlab module in the third quarter of 2023. Taylor said the team has “about a year to bend the metal.”
The first Starlab will be built to be as flexible as possible – with a design capable of having three modules attached to each other. The company’s long-term goal is to expand into “multiple purpose-built Starlabs” for different market needs, Taylor said.
The company currently has a portfolio of nine space technology and infrastructure businesses. Voyager plans to pursue an initial public offering in the next year or so.
