A pathfinder mission for Vast’s privately owned space station launched into orbit Sunday and promptly extended its solar panel, kicking off a shakedown cruise to prove the company’s designs can meet the demands of spaceflight.
Vast’s Haven Demo mission lifted off just after midnight Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, and rode a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket into orbit. Haven Demo was one of 18 satellites sharing a ride on SpaceX’s Bandwagon 4 mission, launching alongside a South Korean spy satellite and a small testbed for Starcloud, a startup working with Nvidia to build an orbital data center.
After release from the Falcon 9, the half-ton Haven Demo spacecraft stabilized itself and extended its power-generating solar array. The satellite captured 4K video of the solar array deployment, and Vast shared the beauty shot on social media.
“What a launch night and team at Vast!” the company’s CEO, Max Haot, posted on X. “And thanks for the ride, SpaceX. Haven Demo’s mission success has turned us into a proven spacecraft company. The next step will be to become an actual commercial space station company next year. Something no one has achieved yet.”
Vast, backed by crypto billionaire Jed McCaleb, is one of several companies vying for a NASA contract to deploy a commercial outpost in low-Earth orbit. Unlike its competitors, Vast is taking an iterative approach with flight demonstrations for its private space station program. First, there’s Haven Demo, now in space. That will be followed by a single-module human-rated habitat called Haven-1, and finally a multi-module space station complex named Haven-2.
Haven Demo in Vast’s factory. Credit: Vast
Dual paths
Vast says Haven-1 is scheduled for launch next year on a SpaceX Falcon 9. The company has manufactured Haven-1’s primary structure, a single module including its hatch and domed window. The structure completed pressure and load acceptance testing in Mojave, California, last month and will undergo final weld inspections and integration in Vast’s clean room in Long Beach.