NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans-based Vivace International Corporation has begun active production on Starlab, the $3 billion commercial space station it was selected to help build, marking a new chapter for space manufacturing at the historic Michoud Assembly Facility.
For more than 60 years, the New Orleans East campus has played a central role in building America’s spacecraft, from Apollo to the Space Shuttle to Artemis. This latest project signals that Michoud’s role in the nation’s space economy is entering a new phase.
The selection of Vivace as Starlab’s manufacturing partner was announced last year, but company leaders say fabrication is now actively underway at Michoud, with production milestones scheduled through 2026.
Building the Next-Generation Space Station
Vivace is manufacturing the station’s primary aluminum-based structure — one of the largest single spaceflight structures ever developed for launch. Company leaders say the hardware highlights the scale of advanced fabrication now underway at Michoud.
“Manufacturing one of the largest space structures in our nation’s history demands precision, expertise, and proven processes," said Steve Cook, Chairman of Vivace. "Leveraging Vivace’s high-TRL capabilities and facilities in Louisiana, we are proud to contribute to this significant project supporting U.S. and allied leadership in human spaceflight.”
The company is targeting completion of an initial large cone section in 2026, a milestone that keeps the Starlab program on schedule as it advances through NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations initiative. Development of the station’s flight article is already underway, with a full testing campaign planned ahead of launch later this decade.
Luke Wright, the company’s chief executive officer and a New Orleans native, said the contract — along with several additional projects in the pipeline — is expected to bring hundreds of high-tech jobs to Michoud.
“This will accelerate our country’s ability to beat our adversaries to the moon and our general defense posture,” Wright said during a tour of Vivace’s 150,000-square-foot Michoud production space. “It’s also important to this area because Michoud has provided quality jobs for engineers and highly skilled technicians for years. We’re going to capitalize on that for aerospace, space travel and national defense.”
NASA’s Commercial LEO Strategy
The Starlab program is part of NASA’s broader strategy to transition from government-owned orbital infrastructure to commercially operated space stations. NASA plans to deorbit the International Space Station in 2030, allowing it to reenter Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean as the aging platform nears the end of its operational life.
The agency currently spends roughly $4 billion annually to operate the ISS and has said shifting routine low-Earth-orbit operations to the private sector will allow it to redirect resources toward lunar missions and deep-space exploration.
Under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations framework, multiple private-sector teams are racing to field next-generation stations capable of supporting research, manufacturing and human spaceflight after the ISS is retired. In addition to Starlab, competitors include Orbital Reef — backed by Blue Origin and Sierra Space — and Houston-based Axiom Space, which is developing its own commercial station modules.
Starlab is being developed through a global partnership that includes major aerospace and technology firms from the United States, Europe and Asia, reflecting growing international and commercial investment in low Earth orbit.
Vivace - Capital Backing and Long-Term Impact
Vivace recently completed a change in ownership that executives say strengthens its capital position and expands its capacity to scale production inside its 150,000-square-foot Michoud footprint.
The project aligns with Starlab’s target of launching later this decade to ensure continuity of human presence in orbit. If successful, it would cement Michoud’s role not just as a historic manufacturing site, but as a production hub for the next generation of commercial space infrastructure.
New Orleans is positioned to remain a manufacturing hub for complex, mission-critical space structures — this time for privately operated stations replacing government-owned platforms.
