The first commercial space station, Haven-1, is now undergoing assembly for launch

A gleaming space station sits in a sterile clean room, its primary structure now complete after a billion-dollar gamble to beat NASA's ticking clock. Vast Space has pushed back the launch of Haven-1, the world's first commercial space station, from mid-2026 to early 2027, but CEO Max Haot insists they're still years ahead of competitors racing to replace the International Space Station before its 2030 retirement.

The 15-ton Haven-1 will launch uncrewed on a Falcon 9, then undergo rigorous safety checks before SpaceX agrees to dock a Dragon capsule with paying customers. "We have a very strong incentive to send a crew as quickly as we can safely do so," Haot says, noting crews could arrive as early as two weeks after launch.

Unlike rivals planning massive multi-module stations, Vast chose a smaller, interim approach designed for short stays. The strategy allows them to iterate quickly on proven hardware for Haven-2, their larger follow-on station. With NASA still withholding requirements for the next phase of commercial station contracts, Vast is hedging bets while Capitol Hill grows impatient for decisive action on America's orbital future.