Voyager Space Announces MoU With India To Explore Gaganyaan Missions To StarLab

Voyager Space has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Voyager Space and India aimed at exploring potential of utilizing India's proposed Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft to support its commercial space station operations by the end of the decade.

"The MoU paves the way to other partnerships across exploration, research, and commercial activities, Voyager chief revenue officer Clay Mowry said." - Clay Mowry, Voyager's Chief Revenue Officer,

This agreement signifies Voyager's first collaboration with a crewed spacecraft provider outside the United States, marking a significant milestone for the company.

India's Gaganyaan, anticipated to embark on its inaugural crewed flight no earlier than 2025 due to previous delays, will launch to low Earth orbit using a variant of India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (GSLV MK3) rocket.

This new agreement additionally permits Voyager to investigate the utilization of space-qualified components from the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). This collaboration will cover areas such as spacecraft manufacturing, deployment, operations, and other mutually beneficial domains.

Voyager plans to leverage this collaboration by incorporating Gaganyaan into its operations, thereby expanding its capabilities in crew and cargo services.

Voyager recently singed another MoU with India focusing on exploring launch and deployment opportunities for small satellites using two smaller Indian rockets—the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

Voyager, which has been rapidly expanding its portfolio through a series of acquisitions, offers a wide array of space technologies, including laser and radio frequency communications systems, mission-data transmitters, and cameras. In March, the company acquired engineering firm ZIN Technologies, renowned for its microgravity research equipment that will support the development of Voyager's Starlab space station.

Starlab developed in conjunction with Lockheed Martin, is among the three commercial concepts vying to succeed the aging International Space Station and become NASA's next space outpost.