Vast astronaut mission kicks off commercial race to replace ISS

The race to establish the first commercial space station is intensifying, with US company Vast announcing plans to send an astronaut to its proposed Haven-1 station next year. This mission aims to solidify Haven-1's position as history's first commercial space outpost, potentially ushering in a new era of space exploration independent of Russian involvement.

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This is an important milestone in a new era in crewed spaceflight that is less expensive, and less reliant on Russia.

The International Space Station (ISS), after a quarter-century of continuous habitation, is slated for deorbiting in 2030. Vast's ambition with Haven-1, if launched as scheduled in early 2027, is to fill this void and establish a Western-led presence in space. Vast CEO Max Haot highlighted this as a "milestone in a new era in crewed spaceflight that is less expensive, and less reliant on Russia."

French astronaut Arnaud Prost is slated to join the inaugural mission of Haven-1. His tasks will include conducting tests in preparation for scientific experiments, mirroring those conducted on the ISS. The privately funded Haven-1 station will initially consist of a single module, a significant contrast to the ISS's 16 modules. During its planned three-year operational life, it is expected to host four two-week missions.

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is joining us on the crew of the inaugural mission of what will be the world’s first operational commercial space station when it launches next year

Vast envisions a more expansive future with Haven-2, which will eventually comprise nine modules deployed gradually. The company projects these modules will cost "five to 10 times lower" than those for the ISS, which often exceeded a billion dollars each. This cost reduction strategy aims to facilitate more frequent crewed flights and offer competitive pricing to customers. Vast aims to launch three modules annually, with at least one potentially utilizing a European rocket, targeting four modules in orbit by 2030 to support six-month missions.

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host four two-week missions

While acknowledging its late entry into the commercial space station race, Vast claims to be ahead of competitors like Axiom Space and Blue Origin, citing contracts with NASA. The company also announced plans to send French astronaut Thomas Pesquet to the ISS next year and establish its European headquarters in Paris. For its crewed missions, Vast will rely on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets and Dragon 2 capsule, with Haot praising SpaceX's "unique" approach to speed and reusability as "the future of space."

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five to 10 times lower