The NASA plans to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS), which has been continuously operating for nearly 25 years, and Vast Space is one of the top contenders to launch the first commercial space station.
A competition will select the best designs and one or more partners for an initial demonstration that will include a 30-day crewed mission in space.
NASA would purchase “station services” from a private contractor tasked with launching a modern successor to the ISS. Submissions for the competition are expected to begin next year.
However, the agency is already collaborating with several companies developing the projects, even before beginning work on replacing the ISS.
One of these companies is Vast Space, based in California, which has signed an agreement with SpaceX to launch the Haven-1, which would be the world’s first commercial space station, if it is delivered in May 2026 as planned.
The project is designed to remain in orbit for three years and support four two-week missions carried out by four astronauts.
The station would have a diameter of 4.4 meters and a habitable volume of 45 cubic meters, about one-eighth the habitable volume of the ISS, which is 388 cubic meters.
Haven-1 would be available for both private and government missions, which would provide more experience for the company in a possible victory in NASA’s competition.
Vast Space CEO Max Haot said the company’s priority is to have a “space station [..] that has a station in orbit, that has sent people there for a period of time, and has brought them back safely.”
In addition to Vast, companies such as Starlab, defense contractor Northrop Grumman, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, and Axiom Space from Texas are also working with NASA to accelerate the development of space stations.
Photos and video: Vast Space Reproduction. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
