Vast, since the company’s founding, has outlined ambitious plans for large space stations, including those that would rotate to provide artificial gravity. However, the company is making clear with the rollout of the Haven-2 design that it is focused on winning the next phase of the CLD competition, securing NASA funding for certifying the station for NASA astronauts and for providing space station services to NASA.“We operate under the assumption that we are all-in on winning CLD,” Haot said when asked if the company had a backup plan should NASA not select Haven-2 for the next phase of the program.He said Vast sees NASA as the anchor customer, but not the only one, for Haven-2. With NASA, along with other companies and space agencies, “we can be a profitable company.”Because of that, Vast is deferring to NASA on some aspects of the station’s design. The orbit, Haot said, will depend on what NASA defines in the next phase of the CLD program. While Vast has a close relationship with SpaceX for Haven-1, including requiring the use of Crew Dragon’s life support system to enable crewed operations, Haot said the company will be open to other vehicles, like Starliner.Haven-2 also will not have an artificial gravity capability despite Vast’s stated interest in it. “Haven-2 is really designed for NASA as the anchor customer, and NASA’s requirement is the opposite of artificial gravity. It’s a microgravity laboratory in space,” he said.
Guess there won't be artificial gravity experiments on Haven-2 after all.
Relevant quotes from a recent article on CLD presentations at IAC:Planning for the future of continuous human presence in LEO [dated Oct. 28]QuoteHaven-2 also will not have an artificial gravity capability despite Vast’s stated interest in it. “Haven-2 is really designed for NASA as the anchor customer, and NASA’s requirement is the opposite of artificial gravity. It’s a microgravity laboratory in space,” he said.Guess there won't be artificial gravity experiments on Haven-2 after all.
Haven-2 also will not have an artificial gravity capability despite Vast’s stated interest in it. “Haven-2 is really designed for NASA as the anchor customer, and NASA’s requirement is the opposite of artificial gravity. It’s a microgravity laboratory in space,” he said.
Our Oxygen System trays are headed to our Mojave site for flight-like O₂ testing. This vital system is designed to keep astronauts safe by replenishing oxygen as they breathe. Each step brings us closer to creating a sustainable environment for long-duration missions on Haven-1 and beyond.
The Czech Ministry of Transport has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vast, the U.S.-based pioneer in space habitation technologies. The Memorandum, signed as part of Czech Space Week, outlines a commitment by Vast and the Ministry of Transport to explore ways to partner on future human spaceflight projects, whether through private astronaut missions (PAM) to the International Space Station (ISS) before it is retired in 2030, or on missions to Vast’s own Haven space stations, and to engage with a growing Czech Space industry and start-up ecosystem.Any future mission with Vast could see Aleš Svoboda, one of 12 reserve astronauts selected by the European Space Agency in November 2022, become the second Czech astronaut. Svoboda has been a focal point for the Czech government’s efforts to stimulate growth in the Czech space industry and inspire the country’s young people to pursue STEM careers, crystallized by the launch of the Czech Journey to Space project in June 2024."We are thrilled to join forces with the Czech space mission and explore joint spaceflight opportunities to bring science, research, and technology from Czech industry to orbit, as well as potentially fly Aleš Svoboda to the International Space Station or Haven-1 aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft,” said Max Haot, Vast’s CEO.
Decades have passed since a space station primary structure has been manufactured in the United States. Vast is changing that. Our Haven-1 qualification primary structure is in its final stage of welding at our HQ facility. Next, the completed structure will go to our Mojave, CA facility for a critical test to demonstrate its ability to handle the pressure and dynamic loads of launch and operation.
This is flight hardware, correct?
The team is making progress on the final welding stages of the Haven-1 qualification primary structure at Vast HQ.
However, Vast CEO Max Haot is optimistic the shift will allow for the procurement of an initial space station module that is not permanently crewed.“The current way the procurement, driven by Congress, is set up is that the minute the new replacement, the CLD commercial destination, is up, it should be permanently crewed from day one,” said Vast CEO Max Haot.Haot noted no other space station has been permanently crewed from day one because it takes time to develop and improve life support technologies in orbit.“And then, as we add more modules, we improve the life support technology, and as quickly as possible it becomes permanently crewed … It’s better to lower the barrier and iterate in low Earth orbit, instead of delaying for the something that’s perfect.”If picked in 2026, Vast plans to have the first module of an ISS replacement called Haven-2 in orbit by 2028. The company also aims to launch a single-module station designed for short stays called Haven-1 in the second half of 2025.
Haven-1's 1.1m domed window is optimized for its expansive, 180-degree view of space. Here, Joe Babcock, the responsible engineer for the domed window, conducts fit and leak testing on the unit, preparing it for installation on the Haven-1 qualification article. The final version will feature two additional protective layers to safeguard against micro-meteoroids.
Forward bulkheads for Haven-1 are designed and manufactured in-house.This critical part closes out the top of the pressure vessel and micrometeoroid shielding. Next, it will undergo pressurization and structural load testing.
Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris (MMOD) flying at hypervelocity speeds in space can pose a threat to spacecraft. For Haven-1, we are building a shield that will cover the entire station to protect against these impacts.Here, our Senior Mechanical Engineer, Michelle Carlomusto, is installing the outer aluminum bumper layer of our shield. Behind that, there is a composite middle layer and then the pressure hull. Together, this shield can stop a 1/4" aluminum projectile at 6.5 kilometers per second.
This is how Haven -1 looks on Vast's recently renewed website. Why such big differences? Is this structure shown in the photos only intended for some kind of testing and not for launch?
