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Both Starlab and Orbital Reef hold NASA Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) Phase 1 agreements to develop commercial stations for the period after the ISS retires. They take different approaches: one module on one launch, against a multi-module station assembled in orbit.
| Metric | Starlab | Orbital Reef |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Starlab Space (joint venture led by Voyager Technologies) | Blue Origin and Sierra Space |
| Partners | Equity partners Airbus, Mitsubishi, MDA Space and Palantir; strategic partners Hilton, Northrop Grumman and The Ohio State University (Voyager 10-K, Mar 2026) | Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions and Arizona State University (as announced Oct 2021) |
| Headquarters | Houston, TX (Starlab Space) | Kent, WA (Blue Origin) |
| Architecture | Single module launched in one flight, 17 m tall and 7.7 m wide | Multi-module station: Blue Origin core modules, Sierra Space LIFE inflatable habitat, Boeing science module (2021 plan) |
| Crew Capacity | 4 continuous, 8 during handover | 10 people (2021 design) |
| Pressurized Volume | No figure published by Starlab Space | 830 m3 (2021 design) |
| NASA CLD Phase 1 Award | $217.5M ($160M in Dec 2021, plus $57.5M in Jan 2024) | $172M ($130M in Dec 2021, plus $42M in Jan 2024) |
| Launch Vehicle | SpaceX Starship (single launch) | Blue Origin New Glenn (primary launch vehicle) |
| Crew and Cargo Transport | Not named by Starlab Space | Sierra Space Dream Chaser (2021 plan) |
| Target Launch | 2029 (Voyager 10-K, Mar 2026) | Last stated target (Aug 2022): operational in 2027; no newer date published |
| Estimated Cost | $2.8B to $3.3B to design, manufacture and launch (Voyager estimate, Mar 2026) | Not published |
| Latest Design Milestone | NASA Commercial Critical Design Review completed (Feb 2026) | None announced since the 2022 System Definition Review |
Starlab is designed to reach orbit as a single module on one SpaceX Starship flight, so it needs no on-orbit assembly. Starlab Space gives the station as 17 m tall and 7.7 m wide, with room for four crew continuously and eight during a crew handover. Voyager Technologies, which leads the Starlab Space joint venture, says Starlab completed NASA's Commercial Critical Design Review in February 2026, and its annual report anticipates launch in 2029.
Orbital Reef, as announced in October 2021, is a multi-module station: Blue Origin core modules, Sierra Space's LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) inflatable habitat and a Boeing science module, sized for 10 people in 830 m3, with New Glenn as the primary launch vehicle. Sierra Space reports a full-scale ultimate burst pressure test of its 285 m3 LIFE habitat in December 2023, reaching 77 psi. NASA's 2022 System Definition Review found the Orbital Reef design feasible; the team then expected the station to be operational in 2027, and no newer date has been published.
NASA selected three Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) Phase 1 agreements on December 2, 2021: Blue Origin ($130 million, Orbital Reef), Nanoracks ($160 million, the Starlab concept) and Northrop Grumman ($125.6 million). After Northrop Grumman withdrew to join the Starlab team, NASA raised Starlab's award to $217.5 million and Orbital Reef's to $172 million in January 2024.
For the next phase, NASA issued its final request for proposals on October 9, 2026, for firm-fixed-price, multi-award contracts, with awards expected in spring 2027. NASA plans to retire the ISS and is paying SpaceX to deorbit it in early 2031, so both stations are racing a fixed deadline.
Starlab is a joint venture: Voyager leads it, with Airbus, Mitsubishi, MDA Space and Palantir as equity partners and Hilton, Northrop Grumman and The Ohio State University as strategic partners. Orbital Reef is a team led by Blue Origin and Sierra Space, with Boeing, Redwire Space, Genesis Engineering Solutions and Arizona State University named at its 2021 announcement, and Sierra Space's Dream Chaser planned to carry crew and cargo. Either way, a delay at any one partner can move the whole station.
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