Elodie Collins
Vast has unveiled Haven-2, which is envisioned to replace the International Space Station. If selected by NASA, the first module of Haven-2 could launch to orbit and become operational by 2028, the company said Monday.
The proposed Haven-2 module is 5 meters longer than Haven-1, nearly doubling the living space that would be available to astronauts compared to its predecessor.
Vast plans to build and deploy a total of eight Haven-2 modules and a seven-meter core over four years to further expand the amount of usable volume and ensure the availability of critical systems and consumables in orbit.
The completed space station will also feature the Haven-2 Lab for microgravity research and in-space manufacturing, a robotic arm, external payloads hosting and visiting vehicle berthing capabilities, an external payload airlock, and an extravehicular activity airlock.
Andrew Feustel, a former NASA astronaut who served as an adviser to Vast, said Haven-2 is designed to enable seamless integration with international partners.
“This vision of global cooperation in space will create opportunities for scientific and technological advancements, benefiting new and current sovereign partners as well as industries around the world,” he stated.
The effort is part of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination program, which aims to develop a commercial space station to replace the ISS. During phase 1 of the program, NASA awarded Axiom Space, Blue Origin-led Orbital Reef and Starlab Space agreements to design commercial space stations.
Vast CEO Max Haot said his company aims to win phase 2 of the CLD with a demonstration of its capability to build and operate Haven-1, which will launch in 2025.
NASA will retire the ISS in 2030.
