Vast Space, a two-year-old startup based in California, has announced a partnership with SpaceX to launch the first-ever private space station into Earth orbit. The Haven-1 outpost will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the initial mission planned for August 2025, followed by a four-person crewed mission to the new station called Vast-1. This development marks a significant milestone in the commercial space industry and opens up new possibilities for space exploration and research.
InShort:
Vast Space has partnered with SpaceX to launch the first-ever private space station, Haven-1, into Earth orbit in August 2025. The company plans to launch a four-person crewed mission, Vast-1, to the new station soon after. Vast’s long-term vision includes launching much larger, artificial gravity space stations in Earth orbit and beyond.
The Main Article:
Vast Space, a young but ambitious startup, is working towards its vision of operating a “100-meter-long multi-module spinning artificial gravity space station launched by SpaceX’s Starship transportation system.” While this is still in the future, the company has taken the first step by partnering with SpaceX to launch the first-ever private space station, Haven-1, into Earth orbit. The initial mission is scheduled for August 2025, and Vast-1 will follow soon after, taking a crew of four on a 30-day jaunt to the new station.
The company’s CEO, Jed McCaleb, expressed his excitement for this journey and the long-term vision of launching much larger space stations in Earth orbit and beyond. Vast-1 will ride atop a Falcon 9 rocket and a SpaceX Dragon capsule, and the company is selling up to four seats for the crewed mission. While the ticket price has not been publicly released, the company plans to provide astronaut training, spacesuits, and other necessary services for the mission, just as it did for Axiom Space’s Ax-1 private flight to the International Space Station in April 2022.
Haven-1, which will be incorporated into a larger space station if all goes according to plan, is just one of several private outposts currently in development. Axiom Space plans to launch several modules to the ISS in the coming years, which will then detach and become a free-flying outpost. NASA has also awarded a total of $415 million to three private teams led by Blue Origin, Nanoracks, and Northrop Grumman in late 2021. The space agency wants at least one commercial station to be up and running in low Earth orbit before the ISS retires at the end of 2030.
Vast representatives have also mentioned exploring the world’s first spinning artificial gravity experiment on a commercial space station with Haven-1. This ambitious project could open up new possibilities for space research and exploration, potentially paving the way for long-duration human missions to Mars and beyond.
Research Scopes:
The launch of the first-ever private space station marks a significant milestone in the commercial space industry, opening up new opportunities for space research and exploration. With Vast’s long-term vision of launching much larger space stations, it is clear that the commercial space industry is rapidly evolving, with new companies and technologies emerging. Private space stations can provide
Original Article Source: Space.com