I Toured The Space Station Replacing The ISS
In a Nutshell
Vast is building Haven 1, a $1B commercial space station launching in 2027 as the first step toward replacing the ISS with privately operated habitats. The company uses aggressive vertical integration—building hatches, hulls, and systems in-house—to cut costs dramatically and accelerate timelines, completing work in months that would take external suppliers years. Future Haven 2 modules will connect into larger stations, with artificial gravity habitats planned by 2035, backed by a clear phased approach and operational testing already completed.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Vast Space is a commercial space habitat company headquartered in an office foyer. The company aims to replace the aging International Space Station. The ISS has operated for a quarter century and cost the United States and Russia $155 billion. It suffers from cracks, leaks, and decades of bombardment by space debris.
Haven 1 is Vast's flagship project, scheduled to launch in 2027. It will feature a modern, sleek design with science labs and accommodation for four people. The estimated cost to build Haven 1 is approximately $1 billion. Jed MB, a wealthy investor passionate about science and space, is funding much of the project.
"It's super important for humanity to like get out into the solar system. The human psyche needs like a frontier, right? We've we've this is the way we evolved. Like there's always been new plans to explore. And I have a lot of money, sure, but but I don't have like infinite amount of money for space station business. There has to be an economic engine that's driving this whole thing."
Max Ha leads the engineering effort to build Haven 1 and future modules. The company follows a phased approach rather than immediately constructing a multi-module station with continuous crew presence like the ISS.
The sequence includes:
- A demonstration satellite already launched on November 2
- Haven 1 launching in Q1 2027
- Future multi-module stations
Haven 1 is intended to be the world's first commercial space station. The strategy emphasizes lower cost through vertical integration, speed, and mass production.
"Our key approach is that um before we build a multimodule space station that can have crew continuously on it which is what the ISS is. We need stepping stone to get there."
Vast competes with Axiom, Blue Origin, and Star Lab Space to develop the next-generation space station. The company's master control room has already been tested during the demonstration satellite mission.
The demonstration satellite validated key technologies for Haven 1, excluding crewed operations: computing systems, solar panels, batteries, software, and operational procedures. The satellite was successfully de-orbited within a designated box of a few hundred kilometers.
Haven 1 will launch uncrewed. Once deemed safe, SpaceX will transport crew via Dragon spacecraft. Crew will stay aboard for two weeks. The Dragon serves as a lifeboat for emergency re-entry.
Vast manufactures components in-house, including hatches. This approach reduces costs significantly compared to external vendors. A hatch that would cost $55 million from external suppliers is produced internally for less than $5 million. The timeline for internal production is six months versus four or more years for external vendors.
"This is a hatch designed in house, manufactured, assembled in house, tested in house. Not because we wanted to, because there's no other choice."
Haven 1 uses a Whipple shield system consisting of:
- Primary aluminum structure (the pressure hull)
- Two protective layers for micrometeorite defense
Testing involves firing 1 square millimeter aluminum projectiles at 7.5 km/s (approximately 20 times the speed of a handgun). The outer layer is impacted first, followed by the ballistic layer designed to stop debris before it reaches the pressure hull. Hundreds of tests are conducted to qualify the shielding using probabilistic risk assessment rather than testing every possible scenario.
The A1 integration room houses the actual aluminum 2219 hull of Haven 1, constructed from 35 panels that are milled, threaded, rolled, and welded together. The structure includes mounting points for the hatch and Dragon spacecraft.
The company views time as its primary competitor and claims to be years ahead due to vertical integration and in-house technology development.
By 2028, Vast plans to launch Haven 2 modules, which will be larger and connectable to form a full ISS replacement. By 2035, the company aims to construct large stations capable of producing artificial gravity.
Astronaut Drew Foytol, a geophysicist with 225 days of space experience, consults on improving living conditions aboard Haven 1. Zach Rosenthal leads Vast's food engineering program.
ISS crew barter food items across national modules. One astronaut traded for duck confit prepared by Lufthansa for a German crew member.
Vast's food program develops improved meals and utensils. Products are based on commercial camping foods for lightweight packaging. Unlike NASA, Vast can pursue commercial sponsorships and branding opportunities.
The utensil kit includes scissors, chopsticks, and a specially designed spoon with a flat tip for scraping pouch sides and accessing corners. The spoon is intentionally long to prevent hand contamination and has appropriate weight for usability.
Haven 1 features a single domed window larger in diameter than any previously flown on spacecraft. At 250 miles altitude in low Earth orbit, Earth views are detailed. Windows are technically challenging to implement in space environments.
Crew quarters include four sleeping bunks (two overhead, two on the floor) within corridors. The air revitalization system directs airflow from head to feet. Inflatable sleep pods provide personal space with adjustable lighting, including maximum brightness and red light modes.
Astronaut Drew Foytol reported watching entire series such as Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad during ISS missions, noting that food remains one of the few controllable aspects of space life.
The Haven 1 interior includes:
- A common area with a pop-up table for meals and experiments
- Science payloads stored behind removable wall panels
- The domed window accessible by floating upward
- Storage racks behind corridor walls for avionics and supplies
The module size is comparable to an ISS module, but interior construction differs significantly with long corridors and extensive behind-wall storage.
The Dragon spacecraft provides additional living space, including toilet facilities. Air circulation prevents CO2 buildup around crew members' heads during conversations.
Drew Foytol described Vast's approach as elegant, simple, and achievable. He noted that Haven 1 will launch regardless of ISS developments and could serve as either a standalone platform or foundation for future generations of spacecraft.
Vast appears to be executing effectively compared to typical space industry delays. The company's progress demonstrates that concepts considered far-fetched 15 years ago are now becoming reality. The business viability of commercial space stations remains to be validated, but the technical execution appears credible.
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