When in 2026 a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from the pad, it will carry more than just a commercial payload: Haven-1, the first private space station ever built.
The project is signed by Vast Space, a young Californian company founded in 2021 that, in just four years, has grown from a small team of engineers to an entity with over eight hundred employees, aiming to redefine the concept of human permanence in space.
An orbital laboratory “made in California”
In recent months, Vast has completed the welding of the main structure of Haven-1 and started the painting of the module, weighing about 14 tons — the largest vehicle ever launched with a Falcon 9.
In Mojave, California, the integration of the final components is underway: the access hatch and a large panoramic window that will offer crews an unprecedented view of Earth.
The station will be designed for ten-day missions with crews of four astronauts, totaling about 160 “astronaut-days” in the three years of planned activity. The interiors, with warm tones and soft lighting, are designed to reduce the stress of microgravity, with innovative solutions like an inflatable rest system that simulates a slight gravitational pressure during sleep.
Even the food supply has been rethought: Vast collaborated with a former developer from the Campbell’s Soup Company to create more varied and comfortable menus, capable of improving the psychological well-being of astronauts.
The project was presented at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney by Drew Feustel, former NASA astronaut and now chief astronaut of Vast.
“If we stick to the schedule, we will be the first autonomous commercial platform in Earth orbit: a turning point for human flight,” Feustel declared.
The launch, already booked with SpaceX, is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026.
Many Vast engineers come from Elon Musk's company, and the influence is evident: in-house construction of almost all components, pragmatic approach and rapid iteration from promises to results. Only the solar panels and thrusters are outsourced to external suppliers.
Haven-2 and the next generation of orbital habitats
Haven-1 is just the first step. Vast is already working on Haven-2, a modular and expandable station, intended to host more crews and long-duration missions. The new central node will be launchable with the SpaceX Starship and will offer more docking ports, permanent solar panels, and ample space for scientific research.
The long-term goal is the development of habitats capable of generating artificial gravity, an essential condition for the future stable colonization of space.
Haven-1 is entirely funded by private capital, but subsequent development could fall under NASA's Commercial LEO Destinations program, aimed at maintaining a continuous human presence in orbit after the retirement of the International Space Station, scheduled for 2030.
As Eva Behrend, Vast's vice president of communications, summarized:
“We build destinations in space where people can live, work, and watch Earth.”
If everything goes according to plan, 2026 will mark the beginning of a new era: one in which space becomes a place accessible not only to government agencies but also to private initiative, paving the way for an orbital economy destined to transform the way humanity inhabits the cosmos.
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