MDA Space Joins Starlab Space as Strategic Partner, Equity Owner in Commercial Space Station Joint Venture

MDA Space brings unparalleled space robotics and human spaceflight heritage to Starlab

HOUSTON, May 29, 2024 - Starlab Space LLC (Starlab Space), the global joint venture between Voyager Space, Airbus, and Mitsubishi Corporation, today welcomed MDA Space Ltd. (TSX:MDA), a trusted mission partner to the rapidly expanding global space industry, as a strategic partner and equity owner in Starlab Space. The Starlab US-led partnership continues to expand, extending the joint venture’s global reach into Canada.

As a global leader in human-rated space robotics, MDA Space is synonymous with excellence and innovation, pioneering groundbreaking technologies that have shaped and set the standard for the space robotics industry. As the developer of the Canadarm family of robotics that have provided mission critical support to astronauts and mission operators on the International Space Station for more than two decades, MDA Space will play a pivotal role in Starlab’s development. The company joins the Starlab team to provide the full range of external robotics, robotics interfaces and robotic mission operations to the station, including its recently launched full suite of scalable and modular robotics solutions, MDA SKYMAKER™, which can be tailored to support a diverse range of missions.

“With MDA Space joining Starlab, we’re not just embracing innovation, we’re wielding it,” said Tim Kopra, CEO of Starlab Space and 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. MDA Space robotic technologies, which have long been a cornerstone of space exploration, will be integral to our operations, ensuring precision and excellence in every endeavor."

"Our integration into the Starlab Space team is more than a program collaboration—it strategically fuses together highly complementary and best-in-class expertise with the higher purpose of accelerating the space economy on Earth and in orbit,” said Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space. “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.” 

The addition of MDA Space to the Starlab Space team reinforces the joint venture’s commitment to assembling an international consortium of strategic and high-profile companies with flight heritage and proven experience, including Voyager Space, Airbus, and Mitsubishi Corporation, further expanding Starlab Space’s global partner network set to expand the commercial space economy. The U.S., European, Japanese, and Canadian industry partners enable the continuation of the International Space Station partner network via commercial entities.

In addition to the joint venture partners, Starlab Space has a strategic teaming agreement with Northrop Grumman, a design and experience partnership with Hilton Hotels, and has secured a launch contract with SpaceX for its Starship vehicle.

About Starlab Space

Starlab Space LLC is a global joint venture between Voyager Space, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, and MDA Space that is designing, building, and will operate the Starlab commercial space station. Starlab will serve a global customer base of space agencies, researchers, and companies, ensuring a continued human presence in low-Earth orbit and a seamless transition of microgravity science and research from the International Space Station into the new commercial space station era.

For more information on Starlab, visit the Starlab website at www.starlab-space.com and follow us on social media at @Starlab_Space (X, Instagram) and @Starlab (Linkedin).

ABOUT MDA SPACE

Building the space between proven and possible, MDA Space (TSX:MDA) is a trusted mission partner to the global space industry. A robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 55-year+ story of world firsts and more than 450 missions, MDA Space is a global leader in communications satellites, Earth and space observation, and space exploration and infrastructure. The MDA Space team of more than 3,000 space experts in Canada, the US and the UK has the knowledge and know-how to turn an audacious customer vision into an achievable mission – bringing to bear a one-of-a-kind mix of experience, engineering excellence and wide-eyed wonder that’s been in the company’s DNA since day one. For those who dream big and push boundaries on the ground and in the stars to change the world for the better, we’ll take you there. For more information, visit www.mda.space.