European leader in space infrastructure, payload integration and mission operations joins Starlab to strengthen international reach and extend capabilities for Starlab customers
HOUSTON and SYDNEY, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Starlab Space LLC at the 76th International Astronautical Congress today announced that Space Applications Services, a Belgium-based leader in space engineering and payload integration, has joined the company as a joint venture partner and investor. The partnership expands Starlab’s global footprint and extends the capabilities available to Starlab customers.
SpaceApps contributes deep experience in space systems, mission operations and payload integration with capabilities that include avionics, payload development, the end-to-end International Commercial Experiment Cubes (ICECubes) service, as well as mission integration and operations control software. The company also works closely with the European Space Agency and international partners, broadening Starlab’s access to global markets and research communities.
“Adding SpaceApps as both an investor and partner proves we’re rapidly moving from design to reality,” said Marshall Smith, CEO of Starlab. “With additional capital and expertise from international partners, we’re not just building the most advanced commercial space station and offering our customers exceptional capabilities, we’re accelerating scientific discovery and defining the next era of space exploration.”
The partnership will also include collaboration on SpaceApps’s Space Innovation Laboratories currently under development across Europe. These ground-based facilities will provide expanded microgravity research access for universities and industry partners, helping to build the research community and scientific payload pipeline for Starlab’s orbital laboratory.
“We are proud to join Starlab as both an investor and a partner,” said Richard Aked, CEO of SpaceApps. “Starlab’s vision aligns with our mission to broaden access to space. By contributing our payload facilities, avionics, and mission integration expertise, we look forward to enabling breakthrough science and innovation in low-Earth orbit.”
The addition of SpaceApps further positions Starlab as one of the most advanced Commercial LEO Destination programs in development. Built by the team behind two decades of International Space Station success and backed by commitments from joint venture partners across the United States, Europe, Japan, and Canada, Starlab is rapidly advancing from design to development, evidenced by its scheduled Critical Design Review at the end of the year.
About Starlab
Starlab Space is a U.S.-led, global joint venture among Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG), Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir Technologies, and Space Applications Services, with strategic partners including Hilton, Journey, Northrop Grumman, and The Ohio State University. Starlab is developing a next-generation, AI-enabled commercial space station, aiming to ensure continued human presence in low-Earth orbit and a seamless transition of microgravity science and research alongside the retirement of the International Space Station. Starlab’s advanced, user-driven design and robust capabilities make it a premier platform for scientific discovery and technological advancement in space. For more information, visit starlab-space.com.
About Space Applications Services
Space Applications Services, based in Belgium with offices in the Netherlands and the U.S., develops advanced technologies for human spaceflight, exploration, and Earth observation. Serving clients such as ESA, NASA and the European Commission, the company delivers mission-critical systems including robotics, avionics, astronaut training, and ISS operations to support successful space missions worldwide. Its multidisciplinary teams combine engineering, science, and operations expertise to deliver end-to-end solutions from concept to orbit.
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SOURCE Starlab
