Latest news with #Haven-1
Fast Company
01-07-2025
- Science
- Fast Company
This entrepreneur made billions on crypto. His next frontier is outer space
Perched on a dusty high desert plain about 100 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, the Mojave Air and Space Port looks more like a final destination for aerospace experiments than a stepping stone to the stars. A field with dozens of decommissioned commercial jetliners bakes in the early morning sun–it'll eventually hit 110 degrees around noon–and the small shacks set between dusty roads and cracked pavement look mostly empty. But drive past cracked airstrips and barbed wire gates, and—with the right security clearance—you may be able to walk up and touch the exterior of the next orbital space station: a 2-ton cylindrical aluminum module built by the startup Vast. Called Haven-1, it currently hangs from a 50-foot-tall steel scaffold while it undergoes extreme pressure testing, one of many complicated engineering milestones it needs to hit before its planned launch in May 2026. Before engineers can install the module's instrumentation, electronics, and life-support systems, they need to repeatedly pressurize the structure to 2.4 times Earth's atmosphere to test its workmanship. Massive hoses hooked up to a trio of multistory liquid nitrogen tankers inflate the station—an isogrid metal shell that resembles a waffle cone—with nitrogen gas, like a kid's birthday balloon. Observers need to stand at least 236 feet away in case bolts or brackets burst. During a visit in May, workers were welding and reinforcing the steel scaffold to make sure the structure can withstand a grueling and aggressive series of stress tests that will see the cabin inflated and deflated 200 times in a row. Vast is racing against the clock to launch the world's first commercial space station—independently, in-house, and in record time. It's an audacious effort, made possible by the retirement of an icon: the International Space Station, a fixture of childhood imaginations and of humanity's exploration of space since its first section was launched in 1998. It's now set to be decommissioned in 2030, via a guided crash into the Pacific Ocean, and Vast wants to replace it. The extended deadline for Fast Company's Next Big Things in Tech Awards is this Friday, June 27, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Business Wire
18-06-2025
- Business Wire
Vast Releases Haven-1 Space Station VR App for Apple Vision Pro, Meta Headsets, and SteamVR
LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vast, developing humanity's next-generation space stations and pioneering the path to long-term living and thriving in space, will make its Haven-1 VR app available to the public, allowing users to explore the interior of Haven-1, the world's first commercial space station. Available on Meta, the App Store, and Steam, the experience provides users with an intimate look at what life is like aboard a next-generation space station, designed with a human-centric approach. Now, space enthusiasts, educators, and others around the globe can virtually observe and engage with the station's advanced technology and capabilities, including crew quarters, the common area, and the Haven-1 Lab, with the help of VR. Vast Lead Astronaut, and former Acting Chief Astronaut at NASA, Andrew Feustel, serves as the narrator of the simulation, and also advised on the app's development. With three missions to space and 197 days on the International Space Station, Feustel's input was essential to ensuring an accurate simulation of being onboard a space station. In the opening, Feustel greets the user at Vast headquarters in Long Beach, California, where Haven-1 is currently being designed and manufactured. His voice then guides the user through the station's interior, inviting them to interact with life support systems and other critical components showcasing the functionality of the station. Much like on a real mission aboard Haven-1, the app enables users to run experiments and partake in routine astronaut activities including accessing storage areas for food and crew equipment, and checking a digital crew interface that monitors the station's systems. Users can also interact with the simulated Haven-1 Lab, the world's first microgravity research, development, and manufacturing platform on a commercial, crewed space station. In the Haven-1 Lab, the user can check on experiments and view payloads from inaugural lab partners Redwire and Yuri, both foremost experts in developing microgravity payloads. Other features of Haven-1 VR include the 1.1 m domed window, which boasts an immersive, 180-degree view of Earth, and the revolutionary zero gravity sleep system, which provides optimal support and comfort to astronauts while they sleep. Feustel specifically provided guidance on the simulated experience of looking through the window and the 'overview effect', a documented phenomenon that Feustel and other astronauts have experienced when viewing the Earth from space. Scheduled to launch no earlier than May 2026, Haven-1 represents a preliminary step toward Vast's vision of pioneering the future of long-term space habitation. Download the VR app from Meta, the App Store, or Steam to follow Vast's progress and get an up-close look at the world's first commercial space station. About Vast Founded in 2021 by Jed McCaleb, Vast is developing humanity's next-generation space stations and pioneering the path to long-term living and thriving in space. Haven-1, scheduled to be the world's first commercial space station, is currently in development and is expected to launch NET May 2026. Vast is also developing Haven-2, the proposed successor to the International Space Station (ISS), designed to serve NASA's Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program as a micro-gravity laboratory in space. Vast's long-term ambition is to create artificial gravity habitations that enable humans to live in space, reaffirming its commitment to ensuring a spacefaring future for all.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
US firm Vast keen to collaborate with ISRO on Bharat Antariksh Station
US-based space habitation company Vast has offered to collaborate with ISRO for the Bharat Antariksh Station that the Indian space agency plans to set up by 2035. Vast CEO Max Haot held discussions with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials earlier this month for a possible collaboration in the field of space technology and offered to host Indian scientists and engineers on the space station his company plans to send to orbit next year. The California-based company plans to launch Haven-1, a single-module space station, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. With a mission life of three years, Haven-1 is a precursor to Haven-2, which Vast hopes would qualify as a successor to the International Space Station that will be retired in 2031. The International Space Station is a collaborative effort of the US, Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency. China also launched its space station, 'Tiangong', in 2021 and has maintained human presence in space. "Some of the ideas that were being discussed is, you know, maybe we can offer access to our space station but also get access to that space station and share capacity or share size," Haot told PTI here. India plans to launch the first module of the Bharat Antariksh Station in 2028 and complete it by 2035. Live Events "We definitely see a lot of opportunities if obviously India and ISRO welcome it to collaborate, especially (given) that our two countries are politically very friendly," Haot said. "Right now, the other two human spaceflight-capable countries (Russia and China) are not in the same acceptable region for current US politics. So, that creates a unique situation where we might have two human spaceflight-capable countries that can work together," he added. In 2023, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) signed a five-year, unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with Vast, with the stated purpose of helping the company's "concept maturation and eventual implementation of space station modules". The Haven-1 spacecraft has a 45-metre-cubed volume and is designed to support up to four crew members for missions of an average of two weeks in length. It consists of four crew quarters for sleeping, several mid-deck lockers for science modules, a common area with a deployable table and multiple crew interfaces. "Right now, we are solely focused on the SpaceX offering, but we are interested to hear whether there will be a competitive, reliable, safe option that we can use to bring our customers using the Gaganyaan vehicle to our space station," Haot said.
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First Post
14-05-2025
- Business
- First Post
Will Indian rockets take crew to world's first commercial space station?
Indian rockets could soon carry astronauts to the world's first commercial space station, as the CEO of US-based company Vast said in an interview that they are exploring collaboration with ISRO for crewed missions to their upcoming orbital laboratory. read more US-based space exploration company Vast, which is working on launching the world's first commercial space station, is keen to use Indian rockets for sending crew members to its future space lab, the company's CEO, Max Haot, said in an interview with The Times of India. Speaking to The Times of India, Haot said, 'There is a possibility of using Gaganyaan rockets to transport crew to our space station.' He was recently in India to attend the GLEX-2025 space conference. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Vast is developing a space station called Haven-2, which aims to replace the International Space Station after its planned retirement in 2031. The company currently has over 750 team members. Haot said, 'We want to work with all countries involved in human space missions. India is emerging as a leader in this field, which is exciting. We are open to various collaborations, including technology exchange, within export control limits.' He further said Vast is very impressed with Isro and the Indian government's efforts to develop new capabilities, especially regarding the upcoming Gaganyaan programme and the Axiom-4 mission to the ISS, which will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the capability to send an astronaut to space. 'We are seeking Nasa's support for the Haven-2 project, which will be managed by Vast. Once operational, this commercial space station will be open to all,' he added. Vast to launch Haven-1 in 2026, Heaven-2 in 2031 Before building Haven-2, California-based Vast plans to launch Haven-1, a small single-module space station, in May 2026 using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Haven-1 will offer 45 cubic metres of habitable space and can support up to four crew members for missions lasting around two weeks. The first module of Haven-2, a much larger space station, is scheduled to launch in 2028. Vast aims to make this module operational by 2028 and complete the entire space station by 2032. Haven-2 will cater to both government and commercial users. It will feature nine modules, 500 cubic metres of living space, and generate 86 kilowatts of power. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India's space station program can gain from Vast's expertise Isro is preparing to launch its crewed Gaganyaan mission in 2027. If successful, more such missions will follow. While India is also working on its own Bharatiya Antariksh Station, collaboration with Vast on its commercial space station could be beneficial for India, as Isro stands to gain from Vast's expertise in setting up a space station. Vast's mission to build artificial gravity space stations Vast is a US-based private aerospace company headquartered in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 2021 by entrepreneur Jed McCaleb. The company focuses on developing artificial gravity space stations to support long-term human habitation in space. Vast's first project, Haven-1, is a single-module space station scheduled for launch in 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The station is designed to accommodate four crew members for up to 30 days and will serve as a platform for scientific research and commercial activities in low Earth orbit.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Possibility of using Gaganyaan rockets as transport service for our upcoming space station, says US firm CEO
NEW DELHI: Max Haot , chief executive officer of US-based company Vast , which is planning to launch the world's first commercial space station , has evinced interest in using Indian rockets to transport crew members to its upcoming orbital laboratory. In an interview to TOI , Haot, who recently visited India to attend an international space conference GLEX-2025, said, 'There is a possibility of using Gaganyaan rockets as a transport service for our space station.' The space-habitation company, which has 750+ team members, is in the race to build a space station called Haven-2 that will be the successor to the International Space Station, which will be retired by 2031. The CEO said, 'We want to work with all nations that are engaged in human spaceflight missions and see that India is about to be a leader in human spaceflight, which is really a great thing. We look forward to collaborating with India. We are open to many levels of collaboration. In space stations, we are open to technology exchange within the confines of the export control (regime).' Haot said, 'We are very impressed with Isro and the Indian govt in achieving new capabilities, especially in regard to their upcoming Gaganyaan programme and Axiom-4 mission to the ISS that will make India the fourth country in the world to achieve the capability to send an astronaut to space.' Before Haven-2, the California-based company plans to launch Haven-1, a single-module space station, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. The Haven-1 spacecraft has a 45-metre-cubed volume and is designed to support up to four crew members for missions of an average of two weeks in length. The first module of Haven-2, a much larger space station, is expected to be launched in 2028. Vast is planning to have the first operational module in 2028 and a fully built and functional space station in 2032. This will be designed for both govt and commercial use. It will have nine modules, 500 cubic metre of habitable volume and 86KW of total power. 'We are seeking Nasa aid for the Haven-2 project, which will be managed by VAST. Once operational, this commercial space station will be open to all.' Isro is going to launch its crewed Gaganyaan mission in 2027 and if the mission is successful, more such crewed missions will be launched to space. Though India is making its own Bharatiya Antariksh Station, the collaboration with VAST for its commercial space station is likely to be beneficial to India as Isro will gain from the company's expertise in setting up a space station.
