Voyager Space to look at Gaganyaan spacecraft to service Starlab space station

D.N. Singh July 11, 2023

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Chennai, July 11 : Space exploration company Voyager Space will explore the opportunities for the utilisation of India’s Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft to service Startlab, a space station.

Being built by Voyager Space, the Starlab is a first-of-its-kind, continuously crewed, free-flying space station.

Incidentally, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is in the process of building the Gaganyaan spacecraft.

According to Voyager Space, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Space and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) has been signed for the purpose.

The objective is to jointly study the potential use of ISRO’s Gaganyaan spacecraft to provide crewed flights to the Starlab station.

“Furthermore, Voyager and IN-SPACe will seek additional collaboration opportunities with various stakeholders within the Indian space ecosystem, including research institutions, commercial entities, and government agencies,” Voyager Space said in a statement.

“We are thrilled to join hands with ISRO and IN-SPACe to explore the utilisation of the Gaganyaan spacecraft for Starlab,” said Clay Mowry, Chief Revenue Officer, Voyager.

“This collaboration creates opportunities for joint exploration, research, and commercial endeavors across Voyager’s enterprise and Indian space entities. We are eager to leverage the potential of the Indian space ecosystem and contribute to the advancement of space exploration,” Mowry added.

“The collaboration between our organisations aligns with our future research goals, particularly in the field of microgravity experiments. We believe that this partnership will pave the way for groundbreaking advancements and mutual benefits in the realm of space exploration,” said Mohan M, Director, Human Space Flight Centre, ISRO.

According to Vinod Kumar, Director, Promotion Directorate, IN-SPACe said the organisation will actively work towards exploring opportunities and enabling collaborations onboard Starlab.