New Delhi, May 11 – US-based space habitation company Vast, which aims to launch the world’s first commercial space station, has shown keen interest in partnering with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to ferry astronauts aboard Indian rockets to its upcoming orbital laboratory.
Vast Seeks Indian Support for Human Spaceflight Missions
Vast CEO Max Hoat, during the Global Space Exploration Conference in New Delhi, met with ISRO’s leadership team to explore potential areas of collaboration in space technology. One major area of interest is leveraging India’s human spaceflight capabilities to transport crew members to Vast’s space station.“We are interested in flying science payloads from India. The other interest we have is the possibility of using Gaganyaan rockets as a transport service for our space station,” said Hoat.
India is developing the Gaganyaan mission, expected to launch its first crewed flight to low-Earth orbit (LEO) by early 2027, using its Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM-3). This rocket has previously been used for commercial satellite missions, such as deploying OneWeb satellites.
Haven-1 to Launch in 2026, Followed by Larger Haven-2 in 2028
Vast plans to launch its initial space station module, Haven-1, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket by May 2026. The company intends to conduct a series of tests before sending astronauts to the module by July 2027. A second, significantly larger module, Haven-2, is scheduled for launch in 2028.Haven-1 is designed to support up to four crew members for missions of about two weeks. The 45-cubic-metre spacecraft includes crew sleeping quarters, a shared common area, and dedicated lockers for scientific experiments.
Vast and NASA Already Collaborating
In 2023, NASA entered into a five-year Space Act Agreement (SAA) with Vast to assist in the development and implementation of the company’s space station modules. This non-funded agreement supports the maturation of Vast’s concepts for commercial orbital platforms.Open to Deeper Ties with India’s Space Program
Max Hoat expressed enthusiasm about India's ambitions to build its own space station, and signaled openness to mutual use of orbital facilities.“Space is one of the most amazing collaborative fields in the world. We are extremely open to ideas. Maybe we can offer access to our space station and also get access to India’s space station, sharing capacity or size,” Hoat said.
He also highlighted the geopolitical alignment between India and the US, noting that both countries could emerge as key allies in human spaceflight, especially as Russia and China are not aligned with the current US policy.
“We definitely see a lot of opportunities, especially as our two countries are politically very friendly,” he added.
As the race to develop a commercial successor to the International Space Station (ISS) intensifies, Vast’s willingness to work with ISRO could mark a significant step toward broader international cooperation in the next chapter of human space exploration.