Flexcompute announced a collaboration with Starlab Space and Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG) to simulate cabin airflow inside Starlab, a commercial space station being developed as a successor to the International Space Station (ISS).

Flexcompute used its Flow360 GPU-native computational fluid dynamics (CFD) platform and GeometryAI geometry preparation engine to model airflow across the full Starlab station interior. According to the company, an initial study closely matched Starlab's existing models in less time than traditional CFD tools require. The teams plan to extend the work to model how exhaled carbon dioxide moves through the cabin and how the life support system removes it.

The focus of the collaboration is Starlab's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), which is responsible for circulating air throughout the station. In microgravity, warm air does not rise naturally, meaning carbon dioxide exhaled by crew members can accumulate without active ventilation. Because Starlab is designed to launch in a single flight, the ventilation design must be validated before launch.

"Building a commercial space station takes partners who move at our pace," said Jonathan O'Neill, Atmosphere Management System Lead at Starlab Space. "Flexcompute's engineers paved new ground in cabin ventilation CFD. That level of expert support gives us more confidence as Starlab moves from design into production."

"Life support airflow can't be fully tested on the ground, so simulation carries much of the design work," said Vera Yang, Co-founder and President of Flexcompute. "Working with Starlab's ECLSS team shows what GPU-native physics makes possible for commercial space: faster answers, earlier in design, so engineers can move forward with confidence."

Starlab Space is a joint venture that includes Voyager Technologies, Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir Technologies, and Space Applications Services, with strategic partners including Hilton, Northrop Grumman, and The Ohio State University. The information is based on a press release issued by Flexcompute.