Starlab Space Announces LambdaVision as Latest Customer for its On-Orbit Science Park

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 24, 2026--

Starlab Space LLC, the commercial space station developer expanding access to low Earth orbit research, today announced a reservation agreement with LambdaVision, a biotechnology company developing a protein-based artificial retina designed to restore vision for patients with retinal degenerative diseases. The reservation agreement supports LambdaVision’s transition from research to long-term, scalable biomedical production in space and ensures its continued access to microgravity as the International Space Station approaches retirement.

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LambdaVision’s layer-by-layer assembly process is improved in the low Earth orbit environment, where reduced gravity improves homogeneity, stability and performance of thin films like the protein-based artificial retina. The company has successfully validated its microgravity manufacturing method and plans to improve the quality and functionality of its protein-based artificial retina, while paving the way for novel innovations in other fields.

“Our agreement with Starlab is a critical step in ensuring continued access to low Earth orbit as we advance toward commercial manufacturing,” said Nicole Wagner, Ph.D., CEO of LambdaVision. “We are positioning our protein-based artificial retina and our layer-by-layer technology more broadly for long-term growth beyond the ISS. This approach not only supports our mission to help restore vision on Earth but also opens the door to new research and commercial opportunities by demonstrating that therapies can be produced in low Earth orbit at a commercial scale.”

While LambdaVision’s first application is restoring vision, its layer-by-layer protein manufacturing platform has broader potential. By producing highly uniform, stable protein films in microgravity, the company is advancing a new approach to precision biological manufacturing that could enable improved materials for sensitive biosensors, optical systems, drug delivery applications and tissue engineering.

“LambdaVision has demonstrated the maturity of the science, engineering, and in-space manufacturing processes required to produce retinal implants in microgravity,” said Luis Zea, Ph.D., chief scientist at Starlab. “Their reservation with Starlab enables the transition from demonstration to scalable, sustainable manufacturing, unlocking exponential growth while delivering meaningful benefits to patients on Earth. We are proud to work with LambdaVision to harness the unique advantages of microgravity to do good in the world.”

The announcement builds on Starlab’s growing capabilities in biopharmaceutical and life sciences research in orbit. Microgravity offers conditions that cannot be replicated on Earth, allowing for reduced sedimentation and improved material uniformity, which support higher consistency in protein-based structures and directly impact therapeutic quality, reproducibility and regulatory readiness.

Starlab’s market-driven business model is designed to reduce cost, complexity and risk for researchers and commercial partners. Its single-launch, no-assembly-required architecture enables full certification and operational readiness within weeks from launch, minimizing delays and maximizing efficiency for payload customers. Through its joint venture partners, customers can conduct research aboard the International Space Station today, ensuring a seamless transition to Starlab as its next-generation capabilities come online.

About Starlab

Starlab Space is a U.S.-led, global joint venture among Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG), Airbus, Mitsubishi Corporation, MDA Space, Palantir Technologies, and Space Applications Services, with strategic partners including Hilton, Journey, Northrop Grumman, and The Ohio State University. Starlab is developing a next-generation, AI-enabled commercial space station, aiming to ensure continued human presence in low-Earth orbit and a seamless transition of microgravity science and research alongside the retirement of the International Space Station. Starlab's advanced, user-driven design and robust capabilities make it a premier platform for scientific discovery and technological advancement in space. For more information, visit starlab-space.com.

About LambdaVision

LambdaVision is leveraging space to develop a protein-based artificial retina to restore meaningful vision for the millions of patients blinded by retinal degenerative diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The patent-protected artificial retina technology developed by LambdaVision uses photoactive proteins to naturally mimic the light-absorbing properties of human photoreceptor cells and activate neuroreceptors still present in degenerated retinas of blind patients. LambdaVision’s artificial retina is one of the first technologies being evaluated on the International Space Station that has potential for clinical use, and the established microgravity manufacturing processes, quality control methods, and laboratory techniques provide a foundation for future clinical research in space. To learn more, visit lambdavision.com.

Space Tango and LambdaVision CubeLabs on the International Space Station, containing optimized and automated hardware for layer-by-layer deposition development of LambdaVision’s artificial retina in microgravity. LambdaVision will extend its research and production activities to Starlab as they advance toward space-based commercial manufacturing of protein-based artificial retinas.

Home Depot’s fourth-quarter performance was muted by ongoing caution from American consumers in a weak housing market, but the home improvement retailer topped Wall Street expectations.

The Atlanta company earned $2.57 billion, or $2.58 per share, for the three months ended Feb. 1. Stripping out one-time charges or benefits, earnings were $2.72 per share, topping analyst projections for per-share earnings of $2.53, according to FactSet.

A year earlier it earned $3 billion, or $3.02 per share.

An extra week in fiscal 2024 added approximately 30 cents per share to the year-ago quarter.

Home Depot's stock rose more than 3% before the market opened on Tuesday.

Revenue totaled $38.2 billion, down from $39.7 billion a year earlier. The extra week in the prior-year period added about $2.5 billion of sales.

Wall Street was looking for revenue of $38.09 billion.

Sales at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, edged up 0.4%. In the U.S., comparable store sales climbed 0.3%.

Chair and CEO Ted Decker said in a statement that Home Depot’s quarterly results “were largely in-line with our expectations, reflecting the lack of storm activity in the third quarter and ongoing consumer uncertainty and pressure in housing. Adjusting for storms, underlying demand was relatively stable throughout the year.”

Customer transactions dropped 1.6% in the quarter. The amount shoppers spent rose to $91.28 per average receipt from $89.11 a year earlier.

Home Depot and other retailers have seen customers cut back on their spending amid concerns about inflation and economic uncertainty. A frozen housing market has added to more tepid spending, particularly for Home Depot.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump dating back to 2022, the year mortgage rates began climbing from historic lows that fueled a homebuying frenzy at the start of this decade. And consumer confidence declined sharply in January, hitting the lowest level since 2014 as Americans grow increasingly concerned about their financial prospects.

Neil Saunders, the managing director of GlobalData, said there has been a shift in the behavior of homeowners because of the housing market and the economy, with more people taking on smaller projects now.

“The broader truth here is that Home Depot does best for big scale improvement tasks and major DIY jobs and is a major destination for consumers undertaking such work,” Saunders wrote Tuesday. “Unfortunately, the market did not play ball over the final quarter with the number of projects undertaken down by 1.5%, mostly driven by a sharp decline in bigger ticket projects, such as full remodels.”

That sent more homeowners to local hardware stores, which can easily fulfill orders for smaller projects.

For fiscal 2026, Home Depot anticipates adjusted earnings to be approximately flat to up 4% from fiscal 2025’s $14.69 per share. The company foresees total sales growth of about 2.5% to 4.5% and comparable sales growth to be approximately flat to up 2%.

FILE - The Home Depot logo is displayed on a sign outside a store, on Aug. 14, 2025, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)