Ontario-based technology solutions provider MDA Space has joined Airbus, Voyager Space and Mitsubishi as partner and owner of Starlab Space, a joint venture for the development of a NASA-funded commercial space station.
The partnership with MDA and its leadership in the space robotics industry will be pivotal for Starlab, Airbus said in a statement Wednesday. MDA’s contributions to Starlab include the newly launched MDA Skymaker, a complete suite of scalable and modular robotics solutions, Airbus added.
Mike Greenley, MDA Space CEO, described the company’s integration into the Starlab team as a strategic combination of “highly complementary and best-in-class expertise” to accelerate the space economy’s development.
Joining Starlab Space is more than entering into a partnership, he added. “It is also a validation of the capability and value that MDA Skymaker offers to the emerging commercial space exploration and infrastructure market, and the high level of trust and confidence the industry has in MDA Space robotics,” Greenley stressed.
With MDA, Starlab not only embraces innovation but wields it, according to Tim Kopra, Starlab Space CEO and a former NASA astronaut. “Having experienced firsthand the exceptional reliability and versatility of robotic technologies developed by MDA Space during my time on the International Space Station, I am confident that this partnership will drive innovation and unlock new possibilities for Starlab,” he said.
Besides the joint venture partners, Starlab has strategic agreements with Northrop Grumman and SpaceX.
