Vast Space has reached a major milestone in developing Haven-1, its first commercial space station, by completing critical structural tests. However, the company has also revised its launch schedule, pushing it back to May 2026 instead of the previously planned August 2025.

Vast rapidly built the Haven-1 primary structure qualification article, the first U.S.-built space station primary structure in over two decades, to ensure its durability for launch and on-orbit conditions. This effort began with the Haven-1 Pathfinder, manufactured between November 2023 and June 2024, which established the necessary tooling, team, and processes. By July 2024, Vast began fabricating the qualification article, completing it in just six months. Following this success, the company started producing the flight-ready primary structure in January 2025, aiming for completion by July 2025, a key milestone toward Haven-1’s flight integration. Vast’s in-house production achieves an unprecedented pace of under six months per hull, setting a new industry benchmark. This vertically integrated approach, based in the U.S., strengthens national leadership in space while supporting international partnerships. Each structural element undergoes rigorous testing, including pressurization, hydraulic force simulations, and strain gauge monitoring. On January 15, 2025, the qualification article was shipped to Mojave, CA, and installed on a specialized test stand, marking a significant step toward Haven-1’s first flight.

Successful Structural Qualification Testing

On January 31, Vast initiated the test campaign for Haven-1’s primary structure qualification article after completing all integration tasks, procedure checks, and rehearsals. This marked the first full-scale vehicle test campaign for the company. The test began with a decay leak check at 0.2 barD, which passed successfully, followed by a proof test pressurizing the vehicle to 1.8 barD (26 psig). No visual changes or leaks were detected, and the pressure remained steady for five hours, with all strain gauges within acceptable ranges. The vehicle was then maintained at 3 psi (0.2 bar) for 48 hours without adding nitrogen to measure the leak rate, which was indiscernible and exceeded NASA’s 1.2 standard cubic centimeters per minute requirement. Conducted by NASA Standard 5001, this test validated Haven-1’s compliance with rigorous safety and performance standards. Haven-1 successfully passed its primary structure qualification proof test on the first attempt, a critical milestone in the journey.

Following this, Vast will conduct further tests, including structural load evaluations and launch environment simulations, to ensure the module is space-ready. The company has emphasized that these successful tests significantly reduce risks in the Haven-1 program and provide better clarity on its development timeline.

Updated Launch Timeline

Originally planned for launch in August 2025, Haven-1’s timeline has been pushed to May 2026 to accommodate additional testing and ensure a seamless deployment. The updated schedule includes:

• July 2025: Complete manufacturing and testing of the flight primary structure
• July 2025 - December 2025: Vehicle integration and checkout, including subsystem manufacturing and testing
• Jan 2026 - March 2026: Environmental test campaign (acoustics, vibration, EMI, TVAC)
• April 2026 - May 2026: Pre-launch operations at the launch site
• NET May 2026: Haven-1 launch
• May - June 2026: System commissioning in orbit
• NET End of June 2026: First crewed mission: four astronauts on a SpaceX Dragon for a two-week mission

Vast aims to leverage Haven-1 as a stepping stone toward the larger Haven-2 space station, the proposed successor to the International Space Station (ISS). NASA is expected to select companies for CLD Phase II in mid-2026, potentially before Haven-1 launches, Vast believes its progress in hardware development will strengthen its bid. If Vast stays on track, Haven-1 will become history's first operational commercial space station.

Click here to know more about Vast Space's Haven-1 Commercial Space Station