Overview
- Vast announced on Thursday that French astronaut Arnaud Prost will join the inaugural spring 2027 crewed mission to its Haven-1 orbital module and that the company has opened a European headquarters in Paris.
- The Haven-1 module is being assembled to stay in orbit for three years, host four separate two‑week missions, and accommodate up to four crew members for short-duration tests and scientific work.
- Vast says it holds NASA contracts and will use SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets with Crew Dragon for the two crewed flights it has announced, making early operations dependent on that launch system.
- The company plans to produce modules in series to cut per‑module costs by an estimated five to ten times, with a long‑term goal of a nine‑module station and four modules before 2030 to support six‑month missions.
- If its initial flights succeed, Vast’s approach could speed a commercial handover as the ISS nears planned deorbit in 2030, but the plan raises questions about single‑provider launch dependence and competition with firms like Axiom and Blue Origin.