On March 5, 2026, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) announced its participation in Vast’s $500 million funding round—the company’s first major outside investment. $500 million, structured as $300 million in Series A equity + $200 million in debt financing. Balerion Space Ventures is lead investor. In-Q-Tel (IQT), Mitsui & Co., Ltd., MUFG, Nikon Corporation, Stellar Ventures, Space Capital, and Earthrise Ventures are other participants. A.C. Charania (former NASA Chief Technologist and Balerion advisor) joined Vast’s board as part of the deal. QIA described the investment as aligning with its strategy of backing innovative companies in emerging sectors with long-term capital to drive technological progress and sustainable value. This round also follows QIA’s involvement in other space-related deals, such as a recent investment in Axiom Space.

The capital is being used to accelerate production and integration of Haven-1 (targeted for uncrewed launch in Q1 2027 on a SpaceX Falcon 9, followed by crewed Dragon missions). Expand facilities and scale the team (now over 1,000 employees). Advance development of Haven-2, the larger multi-module station planned for ~2030 that could serve as a successor or complement to the International Space Station (ISS) under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program and support broader long-term goals, including technologies for sustained human presence in low-Earth orbit and future applications toward the Moon and Mars.

This investment highlights growing sovereign and strategic interest in commercial space infrastructure from players like Qatar, Japan (via Mitsui and Nikon), and U.S. entities (IQT).

VAST  is a California-based aerospace company founded in 2021 by entrepreneur Jed McCaleb. It is actively developing a series of private space stations called Haven, with the goal of enabling long-term human presence in low-Earth orbit (LEO), advancing microgravity research, manufacturing, and commercial activities as a successor to the International Space Station (ISS).  Vast’s flagship project is Haven-1, designed to be the world’s first commercial space station. Key details include, Single-module station — Approximately 10.1 m long, 4.4 m diameter, with ~45 m³ habitable volume and ~80 m³ pressurized volume. It has capacity to Supports up to 4 crew members for short missions (up to two weeks initially). It features human-centric design with personal crew quarters, a large 1.1 m domed window, deployable communal table, Starlink connectivity (engineered by SpaceX), and an innovation lab for private astronauts and government missions. Launch is targeted for Q1 2027 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 (delayed from an earlier 2026 target to allow for integration and testing). It will launch uncrewed first for commissioning, followed by crewed missions via SpaceX Dragon.

Vast has made significant hardware progress:

• The primary structure (the first U.S.-built space station flight article in over 20 years) is complete.
• Integration phase began in January 2026.
• Environmental testing (acoustics, vibration, EMI, thermal vacuum) is planned or underway at facilities like NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility.
• Solar arrays, life support systems (including air filters tested with NASA support), and other subsystems are in qualification or acceptance testing.

In November 2025, Vast successfully flew Haven Demo, a small in-orbit testbed deployed via rideshare. It validated key technologies (power, guidance, navigation, software, etc.) for Haven-1 before deorbiting in early 2026. This made Vast the only commercial space station company to have operated its own spacecraft in orbit at that time.

Future Plans: Haven-2 and BeyondHaven-1 serves as a technology demonstrator and stepping stone. Vast is planning Haven-2, a larger multi-module station:

• A 4-module configuration targeted for ~2030 to enable continuous human presence (500+ m³ habitable volume).
• By 2032, expansion to a nine-module, cross-configured station for even larger crews.
• Positioned as a strong candidate for NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program to succeed the ISS for U.S. and allied operations.

Vast emphasizes an incremental, hardware-rich, and relatively low-cost approach, with a focus on artificial gravity concepts in the long term (though Haven-1 and initial Haven-2 modules are microgravity-focused). NASA selected Vast for the sixth private astronaut mission to the ISS, targeted for summer 2027. This will be Vast’s first crewed flight experience and helps build operational credentials.  The company has payload partners for Haven-1 and is engaging with scientists for research proposals. Vast is one of several companies (alongside Axiom Space, Starlab, etc.) racing to develop commercial LEO destinations ahead of the ISS’s planned retirement in the late 2020s/early 2030s. It stands out for its rapid hardware progress, SpaceX partnership for launches, and focus on American-made capabilities.

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