Voyager's NASA Pact: Building a Workforce for the Commercial Space Age

DENVER, CO – January 08, 2026 – Voyager Technologies (NYSE: VOYG) has secured a renewed contract with NASA, extending its integral role in a program that transforms high school students into hardware creators for the International Space Station (ISS). While seemingly an educational outreach, the agreement for the NASA HUNCH program is a deeply strategic move, positioning Voyager to cultivate the specialized workforce it will need for the impending era of commercial space stations.

The contract extends Voyager's five-year partnership with NASA's HUNCH (High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware) initiative. Under the agreement, the defense and space technology firm will continue providing crucial engineering and program support, acting as a bridge between student ingenuity and the tangible needs of astronauts in orbit. This collaboration not only delivers mission-ready hardware but also builds a direct talent pipeline for an industry grappling with a severe skills shortage.

The HUNCH Phenomenon: More Than a School Project

For over two decades, the NASA HUNCH program has quietly revolutionized STEM education by moving it from the textbook to the launchpad. With a legacy spanning 23 years, HUNCH has engaged more than 24,000 students across 46 states, turning high school workshops into advanced manufacturing hubs for the space agency. The program’s success is measured not just in participation but in tangible results: over 3,000 student-created items have been flown to and used on the International Space Station.

The scope of student contributions is remarkably diverse. Participants in Hardware Manufacturing machine and fabricate flight-certified components, including complex locker assemblies for the ISS. In Design & Prototyping, students tackle real-world challenges issued by ISS crew members, such as designing a functional galley table to replace a makeshift surface, improving daily life in microgravity. One of the program's notable successes includes the HUNCH US Hygiene Kits, intricate organizers with customizable pockets that are now standard issue for new crew members.

The program extends beyond hardware. A culinary track challenges students to develop shelf-stable recipes that meet NASA's strict nutritional guidelines, with some dishes even making it onto the astronauts' menu. Other tracks focus on biomedical science, software development for Artemis missions, and video production to inspire future generations. This hands-on, project-based approach provides an unparalleled learning experience, empowering students with the critical thinking and technical skills desperately needed in the modern aerospace sector.

A Strategic Investment in a Critical Workforce

Voyager's continued investment in HUNCH is a calculated response to one of the most pressing challenges facing the aerospace and defense industry: a looming workforce crisis. Industry reports from organizations like the Aerospace Industries Association consistently highlight a growing gap between the demand for skilled talent and the available supply. The U.S. alone will need to fill an estimated 3,800 new aerospace engineering positions annually through 2031, while competing fiercely with tech giants for specialists in AI, cybersecurity, and data science.

The problem is multifaceted. A significant portion of the experienced workforce is nearing retirement, and companies report high turnover rates as employees seek better compensation elsewhere. A recent Deloitte study found that nearly 60% of space professionals consider leaving their jobs within three years. Furthermore, a survey by the Space Generation Advisory Council revealed that 70% of space employers struggle to find candidates with the necessary technical skills, particularly in advanced manufacturing and digital analysis.

By embedding itself within the HUNCH program, Voyager is doing more than corporate philanthropy; it is actively cultivating its future employee base. The program gives the company early access to promising talent, shaping their skills and aligning their experience with real-world mission requirements. It functions as a long-term recruitment and training platform, building a pipeline of engineers, technicians, and operators who are already familiar with the rigorous standards of human spaceflight hardware.

Paving the Way for Starlab and the Commercial Frontier

The ultimate strategic value of the HUNCH partnership becomes clear when viewed through the lens of Voyager's ambitious plans for low-Earth orbit (LEO). Voyager is the majority shareholder and leader of Starlab Space, a global joint venture with Airbus tasked with building one of the first commercial successors to the International Space Station. With the ISS slated for decommissioning around 2030, Starlab is designed to ensure there is no gap in U.S. human presence and research capabilities in orbit.

The connection between managing student projects for the ISS and operating a private space station is direct and intentional. "What we learn supporting ISS operations today directly informs how we design, operate and sustain next-generation platforms like Starlab,” said Matt Magaña, President of Space, Defense & National Security at Voyager, in a statement. The experience gained from vetting, integrating, and managing the logistics of HUNCH-developed hardware provides invaluable operational data that is directly applicable to the complexities of running a commercial outpost in space.

The Starlab venture, partially funded by a $217 million NASA Space Act Agreement, is rapidly advancing. It successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review in early 2025 and is targeting a single-flight launch aboard SpaceX's Starship rocket as early as 2028. The station is a global effort, with strategic partners including Japan's Mitsubishi Corporation, Canada's MDA Space for robotics, and Palantir for AI-driven operational software. This places Voyager's HUNCH support in a new context: it is not just about sustaining the ISS, but about building the institutional knowledge and human capital required to lead a new commercial ecosystem in space.

A New Era of Collaboration in Low-Earth Orbit

Voyager's strategy reflects a broader consolidation and maturation of the commercial space industry. The race to replace the ISS has seen several proposals, but the field is beginning to narrow. In a significant vote of confidence for the Starlab consortium, aerospace giant Northrop Grumman announced in late 2023 that it would abandon its own space station plans and instead join the Starlab team, contributing its Cygnus spacecraft for cargo resupply missions.

This move underscores the immense technical and financial challenges of building a permanent orbital habitat and signals industry confidence in the Voyager-Airbus approach. By fostering the HUNCH program, Voyager is building a holistic ecosystem that connects education directly to its long-term commercial objectives. Students who today are designing a simple bracket or a software patch for the ISS are being groomed for a future where they might be operating a robotic arm on Starlab or managing logistics for a private research module.

The renewed NASA contract is therefore more than a simple extension of services. It is a foundational element of Voyager's long-term vision, ensuring that as the company builds the physical infrastructure for the future of LEO, it is also methodically building the human infrastructure required to operate it.