Spacecraft Design Unveiled: Potential Successor to the International Space Station Revealed
In a spacey twist, the International Space Station (ISS) is gearing up for a cosmic curtainsy, after 25 years of orbital domination. NASA's got its eyes peeled for a replacement, and California's very own Vast Space has thrown its space helmet in the ring with Haven-2, its planet-bound contender.
Vast, known for its ambitious space endeavors, is prepping to propose Haven-2 for phase two of NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program. If all goes according to plan, they'll be launching the inaugural Haven-2 module in 2028. But even before Haven-1 takes flight in 2025, Vast's got its sights set on the big leagues—nabbing that NASA contract to construct Haven-2 as the glittering successor to the ISS.
Max Haot, Vast's top-dog CEO, put it succinctly, "We're not just dreaming big; we're dreaming ISS successor big." Of course, before Haven-2 can rule the roost, they've got some competition lurking in the shadows: Axiom Space, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman, to name a few. Vast, however, seems well-prepared to take on the challenge.
Space enthusiasts may be wondering what the hullabaloo is about the ISS's retirement in 2030. NASA's approach is strategic—it's quitting the station-building game and intends to simply be a customer, helping out its commercial partners to build and operate the next space station it can hitch a ride on. Should Vast secure the contract, Haven-2 will ride into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, perhaps with a two-year overlap period with the ISS.
So, what's in store for this space station of the future? Vast's plans include a lab for microgravity research and manufacturing, a cupola window akin to the ISS's, a robotic arm, an airlock for payload docking, and another airlock for spacewalks. International partners will even have an entire module all to themselves.
The initial four modules are slated for launch in a row, with Vast aiming to add a larger core module and four additional Haven-2 modules between 2030 and 2032, forming a familiar T-shape in orbit. Nascent troubles of the aging ISS are putting NASA in a pinch, yet the space agency remains tight-lipped when it comes to picking its new space ride.
However, a recent report has shed light on the Damocles sword hanging over the ISS—an ever-growing air leak in the Russian segment, now considered the biggest threat to the station's continued existence. Let's hope NASA's got its spacey eyes on the prize, and we'll see Haven-2 flip the switch on the lights in the not-too-distant future. Buckle up, astronauts! It's about to get spacey in here!
- Vast Space, a California-based company renowned for its space ambitions, is planning to propose Haven-2 for phase two of NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program, aiming to launch the inaugural Haven-2 module in 2028.
- In the race to construct the ISS's successor, Vast's CEO, Max Haot, declares, "We're not just dreaming big; we're dreaming ISS successor big."
- If Vast secures NASA's contract, Haven-2 will be launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, potentially having a two-year overlap period with the ISS before the ISS retires in 2030.
- The future space station, Haven-2, will feature a lab for microgravity research and manufacturing, a cupola window, a robotic arm, an airlock for payload docking, another airlock for spacewalks, and even a module each for international partners.
