Investing.com — Vast, a company known for its space habitation technology, announced that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch up to two Dragon missions to the International Space Station (ISS) to support Vast’s future bid for the NASA Private Astronaut Missions (PAM). These missions are contingent on NASA’s selection of Vast and will be the fifth and sixth PAMs ever awarded by the agency.
Vast is currently developing Haven-1, a private space station that is expected to be the world’s first commercial station when it launches in 2025. In the meantime, the company plans to use additional missions to the ISS in partnership with NASA to leverage the agency’s deep expertise. These missions will provide opportunities to collaborate with individuals and customers of international space agencies through NASA’s PAM program.
Vast is also preparing to compete with its Haven-2 design in NASA’s upcoming Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination (CLD) Phase II program. This program should select a successor to the ISS. Max Haot, CEO of Vast, said that enabling payload and crew missions to the ISS is a key part of Vast’s strategy, allowing them to deepen their collaboration with NASA and global space agencies.
Both missions will expand Vast’s launch manifest with SpaceX, which includes the Falcon 9 rocket delivering Haven-1 to low Earth orbit and a subsequent Dragon mission to transport the crew to the commercial space station. Haven-1 will also be supported by laser-based Starlink high-speed internet.
Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, expressed her excitement to work with Vast as they create more opportunities and destinations for more people to travel among the stars.
With SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Dragon human spaceflight system, a Vast PAM mission is poised to achieve several NASA goals. These include increasing the number of PAM providers, sharing knowledge and experience gained from carrying out PAM missions more widely, and supporting NASA in pursuing its mandate to enable a space economy in low Earth orbit (LEO).
NASA’s PAM strategy, introduced in 2019, was designed to accelerate a growing LEO space economy and highlight the utility of future commercial destinations. The success of these missions has subsequently increased the demand for additional PAMs, now exceeding NASA’s supply of opportunities as the ISS approaches its 2030 retirement.
Vast is in active discussions with several governments regarding PAMs, including the Czech Republic, which signed a memorandum of understanding with Vast in November 2024. In preparation for missions to Haven-1 and competition for the NASA CLD Phase contract II, NASA’s PAM program provides Vast with an additional opportunity to demonstrate its ability and proficiency to safely and successfully plan, manage and execute an entire manned mission.
Vast, founded in 2021 by Jed McCaleb, is developing humanity’s next generation of space stations and paving the way for long-term life and flourishing in space. The company’s long-term ambition is to create artificial gravity homes that allow humans to live in space, reaffirming its commitment to ensuring a space future for all.
This article was generated and translated with the help of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information, see our T&Cs.
