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SpaceX announces partnership with Vast, to launch the worlds first commercial space station in 2025

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LONG BEACH, Calif. — May 10, 2023 — Vast, a pioneer in space habitation technologies, announced today their plans to launch the world’s first commercial space station, called Haven-1. Scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to low-Earth orbit no earlier than August 2025, Haven-1 will initially act as an independent crewed space station prior to being connected as a module to a larger Vast space station currently in development. The mission will be quickly followed by Vast-1, the first human spaceflight mission to Haven-1 on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The vehicle and its four-person crew will dock with Haven-1 for up to 30 days while orbiting Earth. Vast also secured an option with SpaceX for an additional human spaceflight mission to Haven-1.

This represents the first time in history that a commercial space station company has both a contracted launch for its space station and a visiting human spaceflight mission.

Vast is thrilled to embark on this journey of launching the world's first commercial space station, Haven-1, and its first crew, Vast-1,” said Jed McCaleb, CEO of Vast. “We are grateful to SpaceX for this exciting partnership that represents the first steps in Vast’s long-term vision of launching much larger, artificial gravity space stations in Earth orbit and beyond.

A commercial rocket launching a commercial spacecraft with commercial astronauts to a commercial space station is the future of low-Earth orbit, and with Vast we’re taking another step toward making that future a reality,” said Tom Ochinero, Senior Vice President of Commercial Business at SpaceX. “The SpaceX team couldn’t be more excited to launch Vast’s Haven-1 and support their follow-on human spaceflight missions to the orbiting commercial space station.”

Vast’s long-term goal is to develop a 100-meter-long multi-module spinning artificial gravity space station launched by SpaceX’s Starship transportation system. In support of this, Vast will explore conducting the world’s first spinning artificial gravity experiment on a commercial space station with Haven-1.

Vast is selling up to four crewed seats on the inaugural mission to Haven-1. Expected customers include domestic and international space agencies and private individuals involved in science and philanthropic projects. Visit vastspace.com/reservefor more details.

SpaceX will also provide crew training on Falcon 9 and the Dragon spacecraft, emergency preparedness, spacesuit and spacecraft ingress and egress exercises, as well as partial and full mission simulations including docking and undocking with Haven-1 for return to Earth.



 

The Latest Billionaire Rocket Man? Vast's Founder Jed McCaleb To Build Commercial Space Station Flown On SpaceX Rockets​

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Although the International Space Station (ISS) is still in operation, private space companies and crypto-fueled billionaires are competing to take its place in low Earth orbit. California startup Vast aims to be the first to launch a commercial space station into orbit. Founded by billionaire Jed McCaleb, Vast is working with Elon Musk's SpaceX for the expedition. McCaleb is currently funding the venture himself.

The company's space station — Haven-1 — is tentatively scheduled for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in August 2025. The firm then plans to send a four-person crew in the Vast-1 craft, which will go into orbit on a SpaceX Dragon. This will enable a crew to spend up to 30 days in space. The company is taking reservations for seats on Vast-1 from space agencies and astronauts as well as individuals involved in philanthropic or scientific work.

McCaleb earned his fortune like many through the world of startups in technologies like blockchain development and cryptocurrency. He was a founder of the Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange and also co-founded Ripple, a popular crypto protocol. With his estimated $2.5 billion fortune, McCaleb hopes to join other space-focused billionaires like Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson in exploration and innovation.

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The first Vast module, which is just big enough to fit four people, will initially operate as a crewed space station connecting to a larger station that is under development. Vast hopes to build a 328-foot-long multimodule that will produce artificial gravity through a spinning motion, but this will require lifting by SpaceX’s Starship rocket. Artificial gravity on Vast's space stations would closely mimic Earth's gravitational pull and would create more desirable living conditions for people compared to zero gravity.

Axiom Space Inc. is another company planning to launch a space station, with its first module set to deploy in 2025. NASA plans to retire the ISS in 2031 and has awarded contracts to Blue Origin, Nanoracks and Northrop Grumman to develop concepts for an alternative. Regulation will need to increase as more entities compete for space in low Earth orbit, as billionaires continue to show interest in a modern space race.
 
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