THE NEW SPACE RACE: The private space station era is dawning.

“At long last we are entering a new chapter in our exploration of space, that of private space stations in different orbits, with different objectives,” said Jeffrey Manber, President, International and Space Stations for Voyager Space.

The group’s Starlab Space LLC is a global joint venture between Voyager Space, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, and MDA Space. It’s a “no assembly required” venture to be hurled into orbit via a SpaceX Starship.

Manber told Space.com that the motivating factor for Starlab is the end of the International Space Station (ISS), due to be de-orbited in 2030.

“The ISS has already been in orbit for over two decades, well past its expected life-time,” Manber said. “As wonderful an orbiting station as it has been, it is well past its prime and like an old house, in increasing need of repairs.”

That dawn of private station stations has been bolstered by NASA and the U.S. Congress, said Manber, creating a pathway to assure a robust and cost-efficient space program in low-Earth orbit.

Things really get exciting when you factor Starship into the mix. It promises to drastically reduce launch costs, allows for much larger-diameter structures, and as a result, reduced-cost designs for space station modules.