Kristen Smith 
- The SES subsidiary will deliver continuous low-latency connectivity to the station through its LEO Relay Services
- The relay routes traffic through medium Earth orbit instead of direct-to-ground links
- Starlab is building its station under NASA’s Commercial LEO program
SES Space & Defense and Starlab have partnered to develop the communications architecture for the latter’s commercial space station. The SES subsidiary said Monday it will provide continuous, low-latency connectivity via its LEO Relay Services.
Starlab collaborated with the Reston, Virginia-based company for its combined multi-orbit space and ground architecture. SES provides managed satellite communications to government customers, and the Space Force’s Space Systems Command awarded it a five-year blanket purchase agreement for those services earlier this month.
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How Will the Relay Service Support the Starlab Space Station?
Satellites in low Earth orbit that communicate directly with large ground stations experience intermittent coverage, which introduces delays in data transfer. The relay service routes that traffic through medium Earth orbit instead, passing it to ground networks in near real time.
The O3b mPOWER constellation sits at the center of the arrangement. SES Space & Defense said the setup gives Starlab operators, researchers and on-orbit crew uninterrupted access to data, telemetry and mission operations.
David Broadbent, president and CEO of SES Space & Defense, said human spaceflight and commercial research missions call for “government-grade communications” at commercially affordable prices.
When Will the Starlab Communications System Come Online?
The two companies spent 2025 and 2026 on the engineering behind the architecture. That work covered modeling in-orbit performance, evaluating terminals and matching the relay design to Starlab’s mission profile and requirements.
Service will be available when the station launches and will continue through its operational life. The companies said the architecture is built to scale as further relay capability and newer terminals become available.
What Is Starlab’s Role in NASA’s Commercial LEO Program?
Starlab is developing the station under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program, which the agency is using to prepare for the International Space Station’s retirement near the end of the decade. NASA awarded Starlab Space a Space Act Agreement in 2021. The company’s station has already completed its preliminary design review and phase one safety review.
