SES Space & Defense and Starlab Enter Agreement to Enable Communications for Starlab Commercial Space Station
SES Space & Defense to provide always-on LEO Relay Services (LRS) to Starlab via O3b mPOWER, supporting real-time mission awareness
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SES Space & Defense to provide always-on LEO Relay Services (LRS) to Starlab via O3b mPOWER, supporting real-time mission awareness
Reston, Va., July 27, 2026 – SES Space & Defense, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES, and Starlab have agreed to collaborate on communication architecture to deliver continuous, resilient, low-latency connectivity services supporting the full lifecycle of Starlab’s commercial space station via its LEO Relay Services (LRS).
Starlab, which is developing the commercial space station under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development (CLD) Program, selected SES Space & Defense due to its integrated multi-orbit space and ground architecture.
At the core of LRS is SES’s next-generation MEO constellation, O3b mPOWER. Traditionally, LEO satellites communicating to large ground stations experience data delays due to intermittent coverage. O3b mPOWER, eliminates data delays through a multi-orbit LRS infrastructure by relaying LEO data through MEO to ground networks in near real-time. This enables always-on connectivity for Starlab operators, researchers, and on-orbit crew, ensuring uninterrupted access to data, telemetry, and mission operations that support critical decision-making and mission awareness.
“Human spaceflight and commercial research missions demand government-grade communications with reliability, security, and resilience at commercially affordable price points,” said SES Space & Defense President and CEO David Broadbent. “By integrating our LEO Relay Services into Starlab’s core operations, we’re setting a new benchmark for always-on communications across commercial LEO infrastructure.”
The communication system is the result of a comprehensive engineering collaboration between SES Space & Defense and Starlab. Throughout 2025 and 2026, the teams modeled in-orbit performance, assessed terminal solutions and aligned the relay architecture with Starlab’s mission profile and design requirements.
“Mission success in Low Earth Orbit depends on resilient, always‑available communications infrastructure,” said Brad Henderson, Chief Commercial Officer of Starlab. “Through our collaboration with SES Space & Defense, we are building a robust, secure, and highly resilient communications architecture that ensures continuous connectivity and real‑time mission awareness across all phases of station operations.”
The integrated architecture will provide Starlab customers with a seamless path to scale as additional relay capabilities and next-generation terminals come online. SES Space & Defense’s communication services will be available at Starlab’s launch and expand throughout the station’s operational lifecycle.
For further information please contact:
Todd Cotts
SES Space & Defense
VP, Marketing & Communications
[email protected]
About SES Space & Defense
SES Space & Defense is a wholly owned subsidiary of SES dedicated to delivering secure, resilient, and mission-ready space and ground solutions for the U.S. Government and allied defense organizations. The company integrates multi-orbit satellite communications, terrestrial networks, cybersecurity, systems integration, and mission services to help customers maintain assured connectivity across every mission and operating environment. Backed by nearly six decades of experience supporting U.S. Government missions and access to SES’s global multi-orbit network, SES Space & Defense enables defense and government organizations to operate with confidence when mission success matters most. Further information can be found at: www.sessd.com.
About Starlab
Starlab Space is a U.S.-led, global joint venture among Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG), Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir Technologies, and Space Applications Services, with strategic partners including Hilton, Journey, Northrop Grumman, and The Ohio State University. Starlab is developing a next-generation, AI-enabled commercial space station, aiming to ensure continued human presence in low-Earth orbit and a seamless transition of microgravity science and research alongside the retirement of the International Space Station. Starlab’s advanced, user-driven design and robust capabilities make it a premier platform for scientific discovery and technological advancement in space. For more information, visit starlab-space.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “will,” enable”, “ensuring” and “expand”.
Forward-looking statements are not assurances of future performance and are subject to inherent uncertainties and risks that are difficult to predict. Factors that might cause such a difference include those discussed in SES’s filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including SES’s Form 20-F, such as risks relating to in-orbit destruction, damage, or other failures or degradations in performance; risks relating to disruption or failure of information systems, satellite control, and operations networks and other technology; and risks relating to external threats to operations, systems, and ground infrastructure. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
