The transatlantic joint venture aims to develop, build and operate a space station that brings together American and European interests in space exploration, the company said. 

Starlab was among the initial concepts selected by Nasa to receive $160m (£126m) in funding in 2021 as part of a project to design the station that would replace the ISS as the base for international space missions.

Two years later, Airbus Defence and Voyager Space have announced they will continue working on the project, with Airbus stepping up from the role of technical consultant to become Starlab’s co-owner. Other partners include Hilton and Nanoracks, another Voyager Space company.