Design firm Teague maps human-first interiors for commercial space stations as Starlab mockup advances

Teague, a Seattle design firm with roots in aviation and consumer hardware, is translating terrestrial experience into solutions for orbital habitats. The firm is advising multiple commercial station programs, helping teams arrange three-dimensional workspaces where orientation is fluid and conventional furniture is impractical. That rethink affects layouts, fixtures, tool storage and circulation so that researchers, technicians and private visitors can operate safely and productively in microgravity. Starlab, developed through a Voyager-Technologies/Airbus partnership, recently revealed a three-deck mockup intended to be reconfigurable through its lifecycle; its announced physical envelope measures roughly 17 meters tall and 7.7 meters across and is designed to support four crew continuously and up to eight transiently. Practical design choices — from foot restraints to handrails to glovebox placement — are being driven by anticipated users across semiconductors, life sciences, pharmaceuticals and materials research, not just career astronauts. Those user requirements push toward modular interfaces and accessible fixtures that support rapid reconfiguration and maintenance. Efficiency is also a programmatic driver: designers point to the high value of crew time on orbit to justify layouts that reduce task overhead and transit within the habitat. At the program level, these station concepts face policy and schedule risk; NASA’s revised procurement framework aimed to accelerate industry readiness for an International Space Station replacement timed around 2030, yet agency alignment with broader policy and congressional questions has slowed commitments. That uncertainty raises questions about financing, integration schedules and whether commercial operators will meet their current launch aspirations, such as Starlab’s targeted 2029 deployment. Still, designers are planning for longevity: modular architecture, upgradable systems and reconfigurable interior volumes are nested into concepts to allow future technology insertion and varying mission profiles. The commercial model also demands human-centered aesthetics and usability to attract nontraditional occupants — researchers, corporate customers and space tourists — which changes priorities relative to legacy government stations. If commercial stations can demonstrate operational efficiency, flexible payload accommodation and a clear path to revenue, they will be positioned to succeed as the ISS phases down; if not, gaps in orbital research capacity could persist or grow. Teague’s role sits at the intersection of ergonomics, systems integration and program strategy, translating user needs into hardware prototypes and mockups that reduce downstream risk. The mockup process itself serves as a validation tool for operations, helping engineers and mission planners test access, stowage and task flows before committing to final factory assemblies. In short, the work happening now is less about aesthetics and more about proving that people can live and work in commercial habitats effectively, safely and with the flexibility required by emerging customers.