Space startup Vast has announced its plans to launch the world’s first commercial space station, called Haven-1. The 100-meter-long (330 feet) space station is 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 initial mission will be followed in quick succession 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 the new station for up to 30 days while orbiting Earth. The company also secured an option with SpaceX for an additional human spaceflight mission to the 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, the company will explore conducting the world’s first spinning artificial gravity experiment on a commercial space station with Haven-1.
It 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.
SpaceX will provide astronaut 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.
“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.”
