California startup Vast Space plans to deploy its Haven-1 outpost in Earth orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than August 2025. Shortly after launch, the space station will be able to receive the first four space tourists as part of the Vast-1 mission, which will last 30 days. The first crew will arrive at the station on the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
Vast is a young startup founded just two years ago. But the company has quite ambitious plans. They aim to deploy a 100-meter multi-module space station, which will have artificial gravity. Since the station will be quite heavy, therefore Vast rely on the power of the Starship transport system, which recently crashed during the first test flight.
In parallel, the company is already selling tickets for four seats as part of a tourist flight to the Vast-1 orbit, but the price has not been disclosed. SpaceX will be responsible for training future space tourists, it will also provide spacesuits and other similar services. Now Elon Musk’s company provides similar services to Ax-1 missions – a private flight to the International Space Station (ISS), which was carried out by the Houston company Axiom Space in April 2022.
If all goes according to plan, Haven-1 will subsequently be included as a module in a larger space station – one of several private outposts that are currently under development. For example, Axiom Space plans to launch several modules to the ISS in the next few years. Then this complex will separate and become a free-flying outpost.
NASA is also interested in developing private space companies. At the end of 2021, the space agency allocated USD 415 million to three private teams led by Blue Origin, Nanoracks and Northrop Grumman. NASA plans to have at least one commercial station operating in low Earth orbit at the time of decommissioning of the ISS at the end of 2030.
Earlier we reported about how Vast startup bought the Launcher company and planned to conquer the Earth’s orbit.
According to VastSpace
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