Aerospace company Vast is building the world’s first commercial space station called Haven-1. Right now, the company is aiming for a May 2026 launch. The station is being built in the U.S. and is meant to give people a place to live and work in low-Earth orbit.

The First Commercial Space Station

Haven-1 is a private space station designed to hold four people at a time. It’s about 33 feet tall and 14 feet wide. Inside, there is a lab for science experiments and manufacturing in zero gravity. It also has some nice features for the crew, like a big 3.6-foot domed window for looking at Earth and personal rooms so everyone has their own space.

Vast is working closely with SpaceX to get everything running. A Falcon 9 rocket will launch the station into orbit. Later, the crew will fly up on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and dock with the station. Once they’re inside, they’ll have high-speed internet through Starlink. This is actually the first time a commercial station will use Starlink’s laser network for gigabit speeds in space.

A Station For Everyone

The station is intended for all kinds of people, from government astronauts to private citizens. There will be four crew members on each mission who’ll stay for about two weeks to do research or work on new technology.

 The station is supposed to stay in orbit for three years. During that time, Vast plans to host four separate crewed missions. When there aren’t people on board, the company will use the station to test artificial gravity.

Ultimately, the International Space Station won’t last forever. Vast wants Haven-1 to show that private companies can build and operate these in-orbit stations themselves. They are handling almost everything in-house at their home base in Long Beach, California. This includes the welding, the software, and even the “wet trash” tanks that keep the station clean. It’s a big step toward making space travel more common for more people.