Billionaire to launch first-ever commercialized space station in 2025
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A new billionaire enters the space race – a crypto mogul who will launch the first-ever commercial space station in 2025.
Vast CEO Jed McCaleb announced that he is partnering with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to send Haven-1 into space and transport astronauts to and from the craft.
McCaleb, who has a net worth of around $2.4 billion, is known for developing the first legit cryptocurrency exchange, but is now thinking beyond that.
The bus-sized outpost will be home to a crew of four in 2026, which may include astronauts and private individuals.
The inaugural 30-day mission will take place in 2026, but the cost per seat has not been disclosed.
No private company has ever built and deployed a space station, making Vast the first in history if all goes according to plan.
Haven-1 will be launched in 2025, making it the very first commercial space station
“Vast is excited to embark on this journey to launch the world’s first commercial space station, Haven-1, and its first crew, Vast-1,” McCaleb shared in a statement.
“We are grateful to SpaceX for this exciting collaboration that represents the first steps in Vast’s long-term vision to launch much larger, artificial gravity space stations into orbit and beyond.”
McCaleb is an American programmer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist known for founding of the cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox in 2010.
He will support the development of the spacecraft and has pledged $300 million to the company.
The total cost of developing Haven-1 “remains to be seen,” McCaleb, also CEO of Vast, said in an interview.
“I think it takes a little more, but we’ll see.”
Haven-1 is designed for four crew members, with space to perform scientific, research and production tasks in space.
Vast CEO Jed McCaleb announced that he is partnering with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to send Haven-1 into space and transport astronauts to and from the craft. McCaleb, who has a net worth of around $2.4 billion, is known for developing the first legit cryptocurrency exchange
The bus-sized outpost will be home to a crew of four, which may include astronauts and private citizens, by 2026
Vast partners with SpaceX to not only launch Have-1 into space, but also transport humans to and from Earth
Vast will also conduct the world’s first spinning artificial gravity experiment on a commercial space station.
The structure will also include internet access via Wi-Fi on board and a dedicated area for exercise and rest.
The crew of four will launch in a SpaceX Dragon capsule, which has transported astronauts to and from the ISS, and dock at Haven-1 after the three-day journey.
SpaceX has agreed to provide astronaut training, spacesuits and other necessary services to send the first crew to the ship, which is expected to last three years in space.
Space tourism will soon become a part of our lives as billionaires spend their money to send the average person into orbit.
The cylindrical orbital outpost has a huge dome window on the side, Wi-Fi and a gym
The inaugural 30-day mission will take place in 2026, but cost per seat has not been disclosed
READ MORE: NASA is paying $400 million to private companies planning to build their own space stations
NASA plans to retire the International Space Station by the end of the decade.
Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic hopes to offer travel up to 100 kilometers above the surface to the public, possibly as early as this year, though 2024 is starting to look more likely.
Then there’s Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, who has sent six missions 100 miles above the surface – one of which he was on board.
Neither company has shared pricing, but then there’s Axiom charging millions of dollars to get civilians 250 miles off the ground.
Last year, three businessmen paid $55 million each to become the first-ever fully civilian crew to launch to the International Space Station.
Canadian investor and philanthropist Mark Pathy, American entrepreneur Larry Connor and ex-Israeli Air Force pilot Eytan Stibbe made history when they were blasted into space by a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon pod that took them there.
They insisted it wasn’t space tourism because they’d spent nearly a year training for the mission.
Still, Axiom plans to launch four or five similar missions as a starting point for offering regular trips to orbit for paying customers.