NASA Awards Private Astronaut Mission To Voyager

COLORADO SPRINGS—NASA has awarded its seventh private astronaut mission to Voyager, one of a handful of companies also vying to provide NASA’s microgravity research and astronaut flight services in low Earth orbit (LEO) after the International Space Station (ISS) is retired.

Voyager looks at the Private Astronaut Mission (PAM) as an opportunity to get a practice run at ground operations, training and flight control ahead of the launch of its planned Starlab space station, Starlab CEO Marshall Smith told Aviation Week April 15 on the sidelines of the 41tst annual Space Symposium here.

Voyager and Airbus are primary partners on the commercial space station Starlab project.

The PAM mission to Voyager, announced April 15, follows four private U.S. charters to the ISS by Axiom Space, the award of a fifth Axiom mission and the award of a sixth PAM mission to startup Vast, another contender for a commercial space station to succeed the ISS.

“With three providers now selected for private missions, NASA is doing everything we can to send more astronauts to space and ignite the orbital economy. Each new partner brings fresh capabilities that move us closer to a future with multiple commercially operated space stations and a vibrant, sustainable marketplace in low Earth orbit,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement.

Voyager’s PAM-7 mission, named VOYG-1, is targeted to launch no earlier than 2028 and spend up to 14 days at the ISS. Transportation services are expected to be provided by SpaceX, which currently operates the only U.S. crew transportation system to and from the ISS.

Voyager said it would submit four proposed crewmembers to NASA and the  international ISS partners for review. “Once approved and confirmed, they will train with NASA, international partners, and the launch provider for their flight,” Voyager said in a statement.