Another company is racing to launch the first commercial space station. Vast is working with SpaceX to launch Haven-1 as soon as possible, possibly by August 2025. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry the platform into low Earth orbit, while a subsequent Vast-1 mission will use the Crew Dragon to carry four people to Haven-1 for up to 30 days. Vast is accepting bookings for crews who aim to participate in scientific or charitable work. The company has the option of a second manned SpaceX mission.
See also: SpaceX Starlink: Has put over 4000 satellites into orbit
Haven-1 is relatively small. It's not much bigger than a SpaceX capsule, and it's intended primarily for scientific work and small-scale construction in orbit for the four people who will be strapped in. However, Vast hopes to make Haven-1 just one module of a larger station, and to be able to simulate the gravity of the Moon by rotating it.
As TechCrunch notes, the 2025 target is ambitious and could see Vast beat its well-known competitors to developing a private space station. Jeff Bezos ’ Blue Origin doesn’t expect to launch its Orbital Reef until the second half of the decade. Voyager, Lockheed Martin, and Nanoracks don’t expect to have their Starlab facility operational before 2027. Axiom has the best chance of beating Vast with a planned launch in late 2025.
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There is no guarantee that any of these timelines will hold, given the challenges and costs of building an orbital habitat—it would have to be a safe vehicle that would comfortably support people for long periods of time, not just the duration of a rocket launch. However, it does suggest that stations are the next major phase of private spaceflight after tourism and lunar missions.
Also read: SpaceX: Starship will be ready to launch again in 6 to 8 weeks
source of information:engadget.com
