Importance Score: 55 / 100 🔵
Vast Expands Haven-1 Commercial Space Station with New Payload Agreements
COLORADO SPRINGS – Commercial space station developer Vast has broadened its roster of payload clients for its Haven-1 station, slated for launch in just over a year. This expansion underscores the growing demand for commercial space research opportunities in low Earth orbit.
New Partners Join Haven-1 Mission
Vast announced on April 8 the addition of three new entities to its Haven-1 mission: Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS), Interstellar Lab, and Exobiosphere. These organizations will contribute research payloads to Haven-1, which is projected to launch no earlier than May 2026. They join existing partners Redwire and Yuri in utilizing the station’s research capabilities.
Research Focus of Payload Partners
JAMSS, with prior experience supporting experiments on Japan’s Kibo module aboard the International Space Station (ISS), will furnish a versatile payload facility for microgravity investigations on Haven-1. Interstellar Lab, a French enterprise, will deploy Eden 1.0, an advanced life sciences research facility designed for experiments such as cultivating plants in space. Exobiosphere, headquartered in Luxembourg, will contribute a biotechnology payload to conduct pharmaceutical and healthcare-related experiments in the unique environment of space.
Microgravity Research: A Catalyst for Innovation
“These collaborations demonstrate increasing global acknowledgement that microgravity is not merely a setting for scientific inquiry, but a driver for groundbreaking advancements,” stated Max Haot, Chief Executive Officer of Vast, in an official release.
Haven-1 Payload Capacity Nearing Full Allocation
Haven-1 offers capacity for 10 middeck lockers for research payloads. A significant portion of this capacity has been secured by the aforementioned partners or is being reserved by Vast for utilization by station crew members during planned missions. “Currently, we anticipate offering only one or two more slots at most,” Haot mentioned in an interview during the 40th Space Symposium.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Growing Interest in Haven-1 Research Opportunities
As Haven-1’s launch date approaches, interest in its payload accommodations is intensifying. “Initially, it required greater persuasion,” Haot acknowledged. “Now, we have more expressions of interest than available accommodations.”
Platform Capabilities Attract Diverse Research
The payload partners cited Haven-1’s advanced features and the opportunity to conduct research on a platform independent of the ISS as key factors in their decisions. “Vast’s Haven-1 Lab provides cutting-edge in-space research and scientific resources for our high-throughput screening platforms. Partnering with Vast advances our objective to transform drug discovery,” affirmed Kyle Acierno, Chief Executive Officer of Exobiosphere, in a statement.
Enhanced Crew Experience and Payload Access
The middeck lockers employed on Haven-1 adhere to the same industry standard as those utilized on the ISS, albeit with a refined aesthetic design. On Haven-1, the lockers are integrated behind wood paneling at one end of the module. This paneling can be opened to provide access to the payloads. “The concept is that when the crew are not actively engaged with payloads, they can close the paneling, fostering a more comfortable and relaxing environment,” explained Haot.
Haven-1: Stepping Stone to Larger Space Station
Vast intends to utilize Haven-1, which will host four short-duration crewed missions, to accumulate operational experience for its proposed larger Haven-2 station. Haven-2 is being developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program. The company is also pursuing opportunities to gain further spaceflight experience by conducting private astronaut missions (PAMs) to the ISS, leveraging a recent NASA solicitation for such missions.
Collaboration with ISS National Lab
Vast announced on April 10 a collaborative agreement with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the organization managing the ISS National Lab for NASA. This partnership aims to facilitate research that could be conducted during these PAMs.
Streamlining Research on ISS
“A prerequisite for performing science on the ISS involves establishing an agreement with the ISS National Lab, under CASIS,” Haot clarified in the interview. “This essentially unlocks the pathway to ISS science for Vast.”