Vast Space¶
Long Beach, CA. Founded by Jed McCaleb (Stellar/Ripple co-founder). Commercial space station company building Haven stations with artificial gravity. ~1,000+ employees.
Last updated: 2026-04-13 (session 2)
SST projects (1)¶
| projectId | Title | Status | Period | TRL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 155357 | Vast SSPICY Mission Concept Study | Completed | 2023-09 → 2023-12 | 3→4 |
PI: Richard Linares (MIT associate professor, aeroastro). One of 4 SSPICY concept studies; did not win the Phase III downselect. See SSPICY mission studies.
Company trajectory¶
Vast is not primarily an SST-relevant company. Their core business is commercial space stations (ISS replacement), not smallsat technology. The SSPICY study ($200K) was a tiny side project relative to their >$1B capital base.
Key milestones: - Haven-1: Single-module free-flying station (~14,000 kg). Primary structure completed Jan 2026. Launch NET Q1 2027 on SpaceX Falcon 9. - Haven-2: Larger station with artificial gravity via rotation. Competing for NASA Commercial LEO Destination (CLD) program. - NASA PAM-6: Selected Feb 2026 for 6th ISS private astronaut mission (launch NET summer 2027). - Funding: Over $1B total private capital. $500M round (Mar 2026): $300M equity Series A + $200M debt. Investors include Balerion Space Ventures, IQT, Qatar Investment Authority, Mitsui.
Federal funding (USASpending — minimal)¶
| Award | $ | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80NSSC23CA201 | $200K | 2023 | SSPICY concept study |
No DoD contracts found under Vast Space.
NTRS publications¶
1 citation: ICES 2025 conference paper on ECLSS trace contaminant control for Haven stations (20250004962).
SST relevance assessment¶
Minimal. Vast's SST touchpoint is a single $200K concept study. Their trajectory is driven entirely by private capital and the commercial LEO destination market, not by SST program funding. Including them in the SST infusion story primarily illustrates the breadth of companies SST engaged for SSPICY, not downstream SST impact.
See also: Starfish Space, SSPICY mission studies.
Sources: TechPort project 155357; USASpending; Vast Wikipedia; SpaceNews (Haven-1 launch delay, $500M funding).