Private space station initiatives are multiplying. For the Axiom proposals and the NASA CLD Initiative stations, like Blue Origin Blue Reef, we now have Haven 1, which is a project managed by Vast, founded in 2021 in California. But there are many novelties. One is that this project is completely private and is not dependent on NASA or the International Space Station in any way. The second is that Haven 1 isn’t so much a full space station, but a small one-module orbital home with a single docking port. Another novelty is that the launch could take place in August 2025. To get into orbit, the Haven 1 station will use a Falcon 9 rocket, while the crew will visit the station aboard the Crew Dragon. Therefore, it is clear that the project is closely related to SpaceX.
Haven 1 is 10.1 meters long and 3.8 meters wide, with two solar panels on each side capable of generating 15 kilowatts. At the opposite end, the only mooring port would be a large land-view dome. Crews of four astronauts can stay aboard the station for up to 30 days. These features and dimensions immediately remind us of China’s Tiangong 1 and Tiangong 2, launched in 2011 and 2016, which, although slightly smaller than Haven 1 (10.4 x 3.35 meters and 8.5 tons), also consisted of a single unit and It only had a docking port. Therefore, Haven 1, like Tiangong 1 and 2, does not have the capacity to receive cargo ships with food that will allow the crews to stay longer.
Haven 1 will be visited by a crew of tourists — or government astronauts who want to quickly run experiments in orbit without involving the International Space Station — who will travel aboard the Vast 1 mission, piloted by Crew Dragon. However, Haven 1 will launch with the supplies needed to support four crews for a month, so the goal will be to field at least three more manned ships. If the deal goes well, Vast could build Haven 2. The Haven stations are the perfect complement to Crew Dragon for solo tourist missions, because the SpaceX capsule, while spacious, is still a bit cumbersome for multi-day missions. Orbital stay is not allowed for several weeks. What’s not clear is how Vast will be able to make money with this business model. But if Haven 1 goes ahead, SpaceX will have created a veritable space ecosystem of manned flight independent of NASA, with its own launchers, manned ships ready to serve to the whole world and even its own space station.
Of course, Vast has ambitious plans to build a large commercial space station in low-Earth orbit using the units launched by Starship. Each unit is seven meters in diameter and can be linked to other units to form giant structures. This large station will be 100 meters long and can accommodate 40 people. It is undoubtedly impressive, as are the logistics and financing of a project of this nature.
References:
- https://www.vastspace.com/updates/vast-announce-the-haven-1-and-vast-1-human-spaceflight-mission-launched-by-spacex-on-a-dragon-spacecraft
