Vast Endorses NASA’s New Strategy for Commercial Space Stations

Vast, a developer of commercial space stations, has expressed strong support for NASA’s revised strategy aimed at fostering the development of such stations. This endorsement, made by CEO Max Haot at the Global Aerospace Summit on September 11, highlights the potential for this approach to prevent a gap in the United States’ human presence in low Earth orbit (LEO).

NASA’s new strategy, unveiled over a month ago, involves multiple Space Act Agreements designed to facilitate the development of commercial space stations. This initiative includes plans for a four-person, 30-day demonstration mission. Haot emphasized that this direction accelerates the timeline for awarding contracts, with NASA stating in a draft solicitation that it expects to finalize multiple agreements by April 2026, significantly ahead of previous schedules.

Competition and Collaboration in Space Development

Haot underscored the importance of maintaining competitive dynamics within the commercial space sector by advocating for the awarding of two or three agreements. Drawing parallels to the successful collaboration between Boeing and SpaceX in NASA’s commercial crew program, he noted that having multiple participants fosters innovation and ensures a robust development process. “We’ve seen in commercial crew… why it’s really critical to keep two winners, two companies competing all the way to the end,” Haot stated.

While some critics perceive the demonstration mission as a retreat from a permanent human presence in orbit following the retirement of the International Space Station, Haot disagrees. He views the demo mission as a crucial first step towards establishing a permanently crewed station, arguing that aiming for permanence from the outset could delay progress. “If you say, ‘I want permanent presence on day one,’ all you do is you delay when you see that,” he explained.

NASA plans to explore longer missions in subsequent phases, as it purchases services from commercial stations. Angela Hart, manager of NASA’s Commercial LEO Destinations program, confirmed on September 8 that the agency does not aim for only one-month missions in the long term.

Vast’s Commitment to Long-term Human Presence

Vast is actively developing its own space station, known as Haven-1, which is designed to support four-person crews for approximately 40 days across several missions. Haot reassured stakeholders that the company’s plans for Haven-2, a larger station intended to support NASA, remain unchanged. He emphasized the critical need for a sustained human presence in low Earth orbit, stating, “We think it’s critical to stay in low Earth orbit, not to cede it to China.”

In terms of revenue, Haot projected that approximately 20% to 30% would come from U.S. government contracts, while a significant portion would derive from international partnerships. He noted that private individuals could contribute around 10% to 15% of revenue, with a focus on research and exploration rather than space tourism. “Companies developing stations should work to be profitable with those customers alone,” he argued, indicating that future markets could expand significantly, although the timing remains uncertain.

Vast anticipates NASA will serve as its anchor customer, but the company is also looking beyond government contracts to diversify its revenue sources. “What are we selling? The number one thing we’re selling is missions on orbit, seats and time in a space station,” Haot concluded, highlighting the company’s long-term vision and commitment to expanding human activities in space.