SpaceX has formalized an agreement with Vast Space, a California-based company, to embark on two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS). These missions, employing SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule, await NASA’s approval to proceed.
Vast Space is exploring new frontiers by pioneering a private space station named Haven-1, which may achieve orbit as early as next year. Like the planned ISS missions, Haven-1 would launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Max Haot, CEO of Vast Space, highlights the significance of these missions, stating that they are pivotal in enhancing the company’s human spaceflight operations and collaboration with NASA. Haot notes, ‘Enabling payload and crewed missions to the ISS is a key part of Vast’s strategy, allowing us to further our collaboration with NASA and global space agencies.’
This initiative not only broadens the scope of human space exploration but positions Vast Space as a frontrunner for the next-generation successor to the ISS. The company has proposed a Haven-2 design as part of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination program. This advanced module could potentially be operational by 2028, anticipating the ISS’s retirement in 2030.
While NASA has permitted four private astronaut missions by Axiom Space, Vast Space’s applications for similar missions are still pending approval. Axiom’s fourth mission, Ax-4, is slated for launch in the upcoming spring, showcasing the growing demand for private space exploration.
Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration with Vast Space, emphasizing the creation of more opportunities for people to explore space in the future.
SpaceX and Vast Space’s agreement marks a significant step in the expansion of private astronaut missions. With these planned journeys to the ISS, both companies are poised to play instrumental roles in shaping the future of space exploration. Their collaboration underscores the growing momentum towards commercializing human spaceflight and developing new orbital destinations.
Source: Space
