In an announcement that marks a significant leap forward in the commercialisation of space, Vast revealed its plans to deploy the world’s first commercial space station, Haven-1, equipped with SpaceX’s advanced Starlink laser terminals. This collaboration is set to revolutionize how we connect and operate in space, particularly for those aboard the upcoming space station. Haven-1, which is scheduled for orbit in 2025, aims to provide its crew users, internal payload racks, external cameras, and instruments with Gigabit per second speed and low latency connectivity, something unheard of in the realms of space operations until now.

The integration of SpaceX’s Starlink network into Haven-1 underscores the thrust towards making life in space more connected and similar to Earth’s internet experience. According to Max Haot, CEO of Vast, SpaceX’s Starlink presents the only viable option to furnish high-speed, continuous internet connectivity on a space station. This partnership not only promises to bolster the internet infrastructure in space but also opens up new avenues for conducting experiments, science outreach, and communication, making the experience for crews on orbit as seamless as possible.

For those aboard Haven-1, the ability to connect personal devices via Wi-Fi to the Starlink network means the potential to host video calls, partake in real-time collaborations with Earth, and even enjoy leisure activities online during rest periods, all at unprecedented speeds. This marks a significant upgrade from the traditionally slow and limited internet connections in space, offering a semblance of normalcy and improving the quality of life for astronauts during their missions.

Stephanie Bednarek, SpaceX’s Senior Director of Commercial Sales, expressed excitement over the collaboration, emphasizing the importance of high-speed, low-latency connectivity for the crew and critical scientific research in enriching the space station experience. The partnership between Vast and SpaceX is not a one-off arrangement but a long-term collaboration, with plans for Starlink connectivity to extend to future Vast platforms, including those bidding in NASA’s upcoming commercial Low Earth Orbit destinations competition.

The announcement of the Haven-1 space station and its collaboration with SpaceX comes on the heels of the news that SpaceX will launch Haven-1, followed by two human spaceflight missions to the station. This partnership is a testament to the accelerating pace of commercial space exploration, opening up new possibilities for scientific research, commercial activities, and even tourism in space.

Vast, a pioneering space habitation technologies company founded in 2021, is at the forefront of this new era. The company is dedicated to building the world’s first low-cost, artificial gravity crewed station to enable long-term living and working in space without the adverse effects of zero-gravity. This venture into providing state-of-the-art connectivity with Haven-1 and the subsequent models signifies an ambitious step towards realizing humanity’s multiplanetary aspirations.

As humanity stands on the cusp of becoming a space-faring civilization, collaborations such as that between Vast and SpaceX are not merely technological milestones; they are paving the way for an interconnected, accessible space environment. This is a vivid illustration of how far human ingenuity and collaboration can take us, stretching the very fabric of what is possible in our quest to explore and inhabit the cosmos.