Vast and NASA have signed an agreement to allow Vast to perform the final environmental test campaign of the Haven-1 flight-ready station at NASA’s Glenn Research Center at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. Haven-1 testing will occur at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility’s Space Environments Complex, home to some of the world's largest and most capable space simulation test facilities. Scheduled to begin in early 2026, Haven-1 will undergo rigorous testing to verify its performance and reliability when exposed to environments it will experience during launch and on-orbit operations, including acoustics, vibration, electromagnetic interference, and thermal vacuum.

Haven-1, Vast’s commercial space station and crewed microgravity research, development, and manufacturing platform, built at historically low-costs, aims to open up new frontiers in space science by broadening access for more nations and commercial partners to conduct research and contribute to making long-term space habitation possible. This testing agreement is another significant milestone, demonstrating Vast’s rapid progress as an official Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program partner.

"We're thankful for NASA's support to test the Haven-1 flight vehicle at this historical and world-renowned facility; it is a testament to the growing importance of Vast as a commercial destination partner. Having a proven commercial space station on orbit before the International Space Station is retired is critical," said Max Haot, CEO of Vast.

Vast recently successfully completed its pressure test of the Haven-1 primary structure qualification article, and is currently building the flight-ready primary structure for this testing milestone. Haven-1 is scheduled to launch no earlier than May 2026.

Click here to learn more about Vast Space's Haven-2