Starlab Installs 3-Level Station Mockup at NASA as ISS Transition Nears 2030
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 24
Starlab Installs 3-Level Station Mockup at NASA as ISS Transition Nears 2030
3 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Aug 24
Summary
Starlab’s full-scale mockup now occupies NASA Johnson’s Building 9, giving astronauts and engineers a physical station layout to test rather than another digital concept.
The reconfigurable trainer spans three levels and supports walkthroughs, hardware-fit checks and emergency drills that can expose pinch points, blocked hatches, poor label visibility and evacuation problems.
NASA allocated about 2,400 square feet for the installation, which Starlab owns while the agency uses it for evaluations as commercial hardware from SpaceX and Blue Origin also shares the facility.
That floor space reflects NASA’s broader shift from owning the ISS to buying services from privately operated stations, with Starlab still competing against Orbital Reef, Axiom and Vast.
The mockup does not prove Starlab will be ready in time: the company targets a 2029 launch, while ISS operations are planned through 2030 and deorbit could extend into 2031.