Haven-1: First Commercial Space Station Enters Assembly
▼ Summary
– NASA faces a time crunch to replace the International Space Station, which is due for decommissioning in less than five years.
– The agency has not yet published formal rules for the commercial stations being developed by private companies like Voyager, Axiom, Blue Origin, and Vast.
– NASA is expected to select one or two companies later this year for larger contracts to build these stations.
– Vast Space is developing an interim station, Haven-1, for short stays, but its launch has been delayed from mid-2026 to early 2027.
– Vast’s CEO states the new 2027 date is a safe, confident target and would still make Haven-1 the first commercial station, built from scratch in under four years.
The race to build the first commercial space station is intensifying as the clock ticks down on the International Space Station’s operational life. With the ISS slated for decommissioning in less than five years, NASA is under pressure to finalize the requirements for its commercial successors. While the agency prepares to select one or two companies for major development contracts later this year, several private firms are pushing forward with their own ambitious designs. Among the leading contenders, Vast Space has emerged as the furthest along in development, focusing initially on a smaller, interim outpost named Haven-1.
Vast’s strategy involves creating Haven-1 as a destination for shorter-duration missions, a pragmatic step before developing larger, permanently inhabited stations that NASA ultimately desires. The company had previously targeted a mid-2026 launch for this pioneering module. However, that timeline has now shifted. In a recent discussion, Vast’s chief executive, Max Haot, confirmed the launch is being moved to the first quarter of 2027.
When asked about the schedule change, Haot emphasized the company’s commitment to safety and progress. He stated that the new date is one the team is confident it can meet, noting it has been tracked consistently for some time. Despite the delay, Haot points out that this revised schedule still positions Haven-1 to launch potentially years ahead of any competitor’s station. He framed the overall effort as an unprecedented challenge: constructing the world’s inaugural commercial space station from the ground up, starting with an empty facility and assembling a team, in under four years.
This development underscores the complex realities of pioneering commercial space habitats. While NASA works to define the long-term requirements for a continuous human presence in low-Earth orbit, companies like Vast are taking tangible steps to establish initial infrastructure. The success of these early, smaller stations could prove critical for demonstrating feasibility, building operational experience, and sustaining America’s presence in orbit after the ISS retires. The coming year will be pivotal as NASA makes its contract decisions and these private ventures continue their high-stakes development work.
(Source: Ars Technica)
