Vast, a US-based firm, is planning to launch the first commercial space station globally next year and has expressed strong interest in utilizing Indian rockets to transport crew to its orbital facility. Max Haot, Vast's CEO, met with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) leadership team during the Global Space Exploration Conference in New Delhi to explore potential collaborations in space technology. Vast aims to be a successor to the International Space Station, which is set to retire by 2031.

The company intends to launch Haven-1, a single-module space station, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. According to Haot, the project is currently on track for its May 2026 launch. Following this, Vast plans to conduct a series of tests before sending astronauts to the orbital laboratory by July of the following year. The first module of Haven-2, a significantly larger space station, is projected to launch in 2028.

Haot conveyed his enthusiasm for India's Gaganyaan project, which aims for human spaceflight by early 2027, and is eager to accommodate science payloads on the station. He stated that Vast is interested in flying science payloads from India and exploring the possibility of using Gaganyaan rockets as a transport service for their space station. India's Launch Vehicle Mark-III is scheduled to carry the Gaganyaan mission to a low-earth orbit by early 2027. Notably, the LVM-3 rocket has previously been used for commercial missions, including launching OneWeb satellites.

In 2023, NASA established a five-year Space Act Agreement (SAA) with Vast to support the company’s concept maturation and eventual implementation of space station modules. The Haven-1 spacecraft, with a 45-cubic-meter volume, can accommodate up to four crew members for typical two-week missions. The facility includes four sleeping quarters, mid-deck lockers for science modules, a shared space with a deployable table, and multiple crew interfaces.

While currently focused on the SpaceX offering, Haot expressed interest in exploring competitive, reliable, and safe alternatives, such as using the Gaganyaan vehicle, to transport customers to their space station. He also welcomed collaboration with ISRO regarding Haven facilities, given India's plans for its own space station. Vast is open to sharing access to their space station and gaining access to India's space station, sharing capacity and size.

Haot emphasized that space is a collaborative field and expressed optimism about potential opportunities, particularly given the friendly political relations between the US and India. He also noted that the current US political climate makes collaboration with Russia and China, the other human-spaceflight-capable countries, less feasible. This creates a unique situation where the US and India could work together in space exploration.