California-based startup Vast Space has announced the completion of the world’s first commercial space station, called Haven-1. The company plans to deliver its creation into outer space this year.
Image source: Vast Space
«Our main structural qualification product, Haven-1, was shipped to our test center in Mojave, California this morning. The delivery includes a domed window, hatch and tank mass simulators that will be used in the upcoming load and pressure test suite,” Vast Space said in a statement.
According to available data, the Haven-1 orbital station will be able to visit not only astronauts, but also space tourists. The cost of such a trip has not been specified, but you can already leave a request on the official Vast Space website. As for the station itself, former Apple designers Hillary Coe, who also worked at Google and SpaceX in the past, and Peter Russell-Clark worked on its interior.
Compared to the International Space Station, Haven-1 has a much more futuristic look. The design consists of one module 10 meters long and 3 meters in diameter. The company also plans to deliver the Haven-2 station into orbit by 2028, to which 8 additional modules can be docked.
The company plans to launch Haven-1 into low-Earth orbit in the second half of 2025, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The first tourists should visit the station next year. It is expected that the average duration of such trips will be 10 days.