LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA – Vast, a pioneering company in space habitation technologies, has announced its ambitious projects, Haven-1 and VAST-1 missions, marking significant advancements in commercial space exploration. The groundbreaking announcement was made by Jed McCaleb, the CEO of Vast, during a press conference held in Long Beach, California.
Haven-1, the world’s first commercial space station, is scheduled to be launched into low-Earth orbit no earlier than August 2025. Initially serving as an independent crewed space station, Haven-1 will later be integrated as a module into a larger Vast space station currently in development. This remarkable feat will be made possible through a partnership with SpaceX, which will deploy the Haven-1 module using their Falcon 9 rocket.
Announcing the Haven-1 and Vast-1 missions to low-Earth orbit. Launched by @SpaceX, Haven-1 is scheduled to be the world’s first commercial space station and will be visited by a crew of four aboard a Dragon spacecraft during Vast-1 → https://t.co/ToxFSiyQJj pic.twitter.com/YSPrM9Krtr
— VΛST (@vast) May 10, 2023
VAST Unveils Plans for Haven-1 and VAST-1 Missions
Following the launch of Haven-1, the Vast-1 mission will commence, marking the first human spaceflight mission to the Haven-1 station. A four-person crew will embark on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, rendezvous with Haven-1, and spend up to 30 days in Earth’s orbit. Vast has also secured an option with SpaceX for an additional human spaceflight mission to Haven-1, further cementing their commitment to commercial space travel.
Jed McCaleb expressed his enthusiasm for the milestone, stating, “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. 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.”
Tom Ochinero, Senior Vice President of Commercial Business at SpaceX, emphasized the significance of this collaboration, noting, “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.”
Vast’s ultimate objective is to develop a 100-meter-long multi-module spinning artificial gravity space station, utilizing SpaceX’s Starship transportation system. As part of their journey towards achieving this vision, Vast intends to conduct the world’s first spinning artificial gravity experiment on Haven-1.
To prepare for the inaugural mission to Haven-1, Vast is offering up to four crewed seats for sale. Potential customers include both domestic and international space agencies, as well as private individuals involved in scientific and philanthropic projects.
SpaceX will play a crucial role in the Haven-1 missions by providing crew training, emergency preparedness, and simulations for docking and undocking procedures with Haven-1.
Haven-1 will offer numerous features and capabilities, including compatibility for docking with SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, extended on-orbit duration for human spaceflight missions of up to 30 days, scientific research opportunities, in-space manufacturing capabilities, independent life support functions, and privacy for the crew.
The Vast-1 mission, which will transport crew members to Haven-1, presents exciting possibilities for space agencies and private individuals to engage in advanced scientific research and in-space manufacturing opportunities.
Founded in 2021, Vast is at the forefront of space habitation technologies, aiming to facilitate the expansion of humanity across the solar system. By building affordable, artificial gravity crewed stations, Vast envisions enabling long-term human habitation and work in space while mitigating the adverse effects of zero gravity.
With the announcement of the Haven-1 and VAST-1 missions, Vast and SpaceX are propelling the future of commercial space exploration and paving the way for humanity’s presence in space.