Vast Space, a commercial space station developer, has signed an agreement with SpaceX to carry out two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS), pending NASA approval.
On December 19, Vast announced the deal to fly two Crew Dragon spacecraft to the ISS as part of NASA’s Private Astronaut Missions (PAMs), short-duration missions aimed at advancing commercial space station development. These missions are seen as a step toward future privately owned space stations.
Max Haot, CEO of Vast, expressed that enabling crewed missions to the ISS is crucial to Vast’s strategy, enhancing collaboration with NASA and global space agencies. He added that the missions will help position Vast as a leader in developing the next-generation space station.
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and COO, also expressed excitement about the partnership, emphasizing the expanded opportunities for people to travel to space.
The missions are contingent on NASA’s approval. So far, NASA has awarded four PAMs, all to Axiom Space, with no competition from other companies. Axiom has already flown three of these missions and is preparing for the fourth, Ax-4, scheduled for 2025. All PAM missions to date have used Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Vast announced its plans to bid for future PAM opportunities in February. While NASA has not yet released a solicitation for new missions, it has indicated that it would support up to two PAMs annually, although only one has taken place per year thus far.
Vast faces competition from Axiom, which announced plans on December 18 to build its own commercial space station. Axiom’s new approach involves adding a power and payload module to the ISS, which will later be removed to form a standalone station.
Axiom plans to continue competing for PAM missions to the ISS. Mark Greeley, Axiom’s COO, stated that the company will pursue PAMs as long as they are available.
Vast’s agreement with SpaceX also builds on an earlier contract for the launch of its Haven-1 module, set for late 2025. Haven-1 will support up to four short-duration visits, allowing Vast to test technologies and gain experience for its proposed Haven-2 space station, part of NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations program.
Vast also mentioned ongoing discussions with government space agencies regarding the potential participation of astronauts from various countries in its private astronaut missions. For example, the Czech Republic signed an agreement with Vast in November to explore flight opportunities for Czech astronauts on Vast missions.
