SpaceX
Vast Announces Deal with SpaceX to Launch Two Human Spaceflight Missions to the International Space Station (News Release - December 19)
Vast, the pioneering space habitation technology company building Haven-1, which is expected to become the world’s first commercial station when it launches in 2025, announced today that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch up to two Dragon missions to the International Space Station (ISS) in support of Vast’s future bid for NASA’s private astronaut missions (PAM). These missions, contingent on Vast being selected by NASA, will be the fifth and sixth PAMs ever awarded by the agency.
While Vast is developing its private space station, Haven-1, the company plans to leverage additional missions to the ISS in partnership with NASA to draw on the agency’s extensive expertise. These missions provide opportunities to collaborate with private individuals and international space agency customers through the NASA PAM program and strengthen current partnerships. This is an important step as Vast prepares to compete with its Haven-2 design in NASA’s upcoming Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Destination (CLD) Phase II program, which is positioned to select a successor to the ISS.
"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. These missions not only strengthen our expertise in human spaceflight operations and collaboration with NASA, but also position Vast as a leading contender to deliver the next-generation successor to the ISS, advancing the future of human space exploration," said Max Haot, Chief Executive Officer of Vast.
These two missions expand Vast’s launch manifest with SpaceX, which includes the company’s Falcon 9 rocket delivering Haven-1 to low-Earth orbit and a subsequent Dragon mission to fly crew to the commercial space station. Haven-1 will also be supported by Starlink laser-based high-speed internet.
“I am excited to work with Vast as they build more opportunities and destinations for more people to travel amongst the stars,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
With SpaceX’s Falcon 9 and Dragon human spaceflight system, a Vast PAM mission is set to achieve multiple NASA objectives, including increasing the number of PAM providers, more widely sharing the knowledge and experience gained from conducting PAM missions, and supporting NASA in further meeting its mandate of enabling a low-Earth orbit (LEO) space economy.
NASA’s PAM strategy was introduced in 2019 to accelerate a burgeoning LEO space economy and highlight the utility of future commercial destinations. PAMs have allowed commercial industry partners to gain valuable insight into the costs and operations of LEO destinations, giving them insight into the infrastructure and processes required to safely accomplish a human spaceflight mission. This includes crew selection and training, mission planning and execution, mission management, cargo integration, and crew health and medical care protocols.
The success of these missions has subsequently increased the demand for more PAMs, now exceeding NASA’s supply of opportunities as the ISS nears retirement in 2030.
Sovereign governments have also expressed strong interest in flying crews to the ISS. Vast is in active discussions with multiple governments regarding PAMs, including the Czech Republic, which signed an MOU with Vast in November 2024.
In preparation for missions to Haven-1 and the NASA CLD Phase II contract competition, NASA’s PAM program offers Vast an additional opportunity to demonstrate its capability and competency to plan, manage, and safely and successfully execute a crewed mission in its entirety. These missions will augment knowledge and lessons learned applicable to Haven-1 and Haven-2, Vast’s CLD space station and proposed successor to the ISS.
Source: VastSpace.com
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