Northrop Grumman and STAR HARBOR to Collaborate on Commercial Space Station Research and Astronaut Training
Northrop Grumman and STAR HARBOR announced a collaboration for market research and the early development of an astronaut training curricula for Northrop Grumman’s space station concept. In December 2021 Northrop Grumman signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA under the Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development program for $125.6 million to design a safe, reliable and cost-effective commercial free-flying space station in low Earth orbit (LEO).
This collaboration establishes STAR HARBOR’s intentions to utilize Northrop Grumman’s commercial space station concept as one of the LEO destinations for on-orbit services and training for their customers. The collaboration will explore the development of Northrop Grumman’s customized astronaut training programs to help define a high standard of safety and customer service for commercial industry spaceflight training and mission implementation. These efforts will help support a thriving future for the new space economy by accelerating humans and technology within the commercial aerospace ecosystem.
The collaboration also explores the development and integration of an optimal pipeline and verification process for STAR HARBOR’s LAB TO ORBIT™ R&D program. STAR HARBOR is establishing a robust research pipeline process to support researchers from concept design, prototyping, and testing through flight readiness and mission success. In STAR HARBOR’s Researcher Training Courses, participants will learn to properly design payloads for the varying flight profiles, space environments, and destinations while receiving expert support to get payloads certified and procured on a flight. STAR HARBOR’S pipeline will provide an expedited access point to get research and researchers onboard the Northrop Grumman Space Station design.
About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman is a technology company focused on global security and human discovery. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with capabilities they need to connect, advance and protect the U.S. and its allies. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our 90,000 employees define possible every day.
About STAR HARBOR
STAR HARBOR is creating the world’s first fully comprehensive, publicly accessible spaceflight training facility and cutting-edge research and development campus. STAR HARBOR’s unique facility will include an aircraft modified for parabolic flight, a 4-million-gallon neutral buoyancy tank with an underwater habitat, a high-gravity human centrifuge, hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers, land-based habitats, high-tech space simulation technology and spacecraft mockups. The STAR HARBOR HUMANS TO ORBIT™ Astronaut Certification Program is helping to define industry spaceflight safety regulations and standards. STAR HARBOR is committed to positively impacting sustainability and climate science research and education, including creating local, national and international STEAM education opportunities
