Expansive Strategies for Microgravity Laboratory Unveiled by Vast for Its Haven-1 Private Space Outpost

Space station enterprise Vast is in the process of developing a dedicated microgravity research laboratory as a key component of its expansive Haven-1 space station project. The company anticipates the module’s deployment by the latter half of 2025, as announced on Thursday.

This laboratory will feature 10 payload slots, each mirroring the capacity of a middeck locker on the International Space Station (ISS) — the ISS’s standard unit for payload accommodation. Comparable in size to a household microwave, these slots can each support payloads up to 30 kg (66 lbs), while offering 100W of continuous power and Ethernet connections for data transmission.

Mirroring operations on the ISS, these payloads will be managed by a crew stationed on Haven-1, enabling researchers to send back samples or products using return capsules, such as those provided by SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. This crew will receive support from Earth-based operators communicating via Starlink laser links. Vast’s collaboration with Starlink was confirmed in April.

Max Haot, CEO of Vast, remarked in a statement, “As the ISS approaches its potential decommissioning in 2030, the wealth of experience and knowledge it has generated should find a new home for future endeavors in microgravity research and manufacturing. The Haven-1 Lab aspires to be that successor, ready ahead of the ISS retirement.”

To kickstart operations in this lab, Vast is partnering with Redwire Space and the European space biotechnology firm, Yuri, both of which have a rich history of conducting operations on the ISS. Vast’s inclination towards a European partner was underscored earlier this year by its Memorandum of Understanding with the European Space Agency, signaling a commitment towards increased collaboration with European entities for future Vast stations.

Haven-1 represents a bold effort to succeed the International Space Station (ISS), which has facilitated hundreds of scientific and research projects during its time in orbit. While the allure of commercial space stations often centers around their potential for space tourism, it’s clear that research and scientific inquiry will remain their core offerings for the foreseeable future.

However, the research conducted may diverge from past ISS projects. Space restrictions and project evaluations based on scientific merit by NASA and its partners have historically influenced ISS research activities. With commercial ventures like Vast’s lab, priorities may shift.

The advent of a commercial station, with launch plans in the near horizon, is a development NASA likely views positively. The agency has been vocal about its preference for an operational overlap between the retiring ISS and the emergence of private orbital platforms.