SpaceX partners with Vast for Starlink partnership for its new space station

Vast and SpaceX have reached an agreement to use Starlink on its future commercial space station.

Haven-1, which is planned to launch atop a Falcon 9 no earlier than August 2025, will be outfitted with Starlink terminals to ensure occupants aboard the station will have access to high-speed communications courtesy of the SpaceX Starlink network.

Announcement: Haven-1 to be the world’s first commercial space station connected by SpaceX Starlink: https://t.co/jAwG5TbkxL @SpaceX @Starlink pic.twitter.com/tLY15HB0a0

— VΛST (@vast) April 9, 2024

Vast CEO Max Haot commented:

“If you need to provide high-speed, low-latency, continuous internet connectivity on a space station in orbit in 2025, SpaceX Starlink is the only option.”

In addition to being able to provide high-speed communications to the crews, they will also be able to connect their own devices via Wi-Fi to the network, allowing for better outreach potential and science demonstrations.

This news comes after Vast and SpaceX announced in 2023 that SpaceX will launch the Haven-1 as a stand-alone outpost, followed by the launch of 2 Crew Dragons at the space station.

Crews will stay aboard the station for up to 30 days at a time. Vast plans for Haven-1 to eventually be connected to a future space station currently in development.

Concept art of a Crew Dragon docking to Haven-1 (Credit VAST)

Haven-1, which is designed to fit inside a standard Falcon 9 fairing, will be the first crewed habitat that SpaceX has launched.

Vast is also planning a much larger variant that will eventually launch atop a SpaceX Starship rocket. The company envisions a series of 7 modules, each 7 meters in diameter and, once complete, be 100 meters in length. Both Haven-1 and the future larger station are intended to be able to spin while in orbit to create artificial gravity for the crew and to conduct experiments in various simulated gravity environments.

If given the opportunity, would you take a ride to Vast’s Haven-1 space station?

Questions or comments? Shoot me an email at [email protected], or Tweet me @RDAnglePhoto.

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