NASA announced Friday that it has selected VAST for a private mission to the International Space Station (ISS) next year. The California-based company, that is building habitats to replace the ISS, will propose a team of four crew members who will spend up to 14 days on the orbital lab. According to NASA, the mission is expected to launch no earlier that summer 2027.
Vast has been selected by @NASASpaceOps for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Launching no earlier than summer 2027, the commercial crew will spend up to 14 days aboard the station. https://t.co/ZSm3WcwgnZ pic.twitter.com/TEFnnqMGoP
— Vast (@vast) February 12, 2026
“Private astronaut missions represent more than access to the International Space Station — they create opportunities for new ideas, companies, and capabilities that further enhance American leadership in low Earth orbit and open doors for what’s next,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement.
“Each new entrant brings unique strengths that fuel a dynamic, innovative marketplace as we advance research and technology and prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.” VAST seems to be diversifying its operations from building space stations. It is targeting the launch of its first module HAVEN-1 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket this year.
VAST to select astronauts for NASA
The agreement says that VAST will propose four astronaut candidates to NASA and its partners for review. These candidates, once approved, will be cleared for training with NASA, the launch provider SpaceX and other partners. Besides, VAST will also purchase mission services from NASA, including crew consumables, cargo delivery, storage, and other in-orbit resources for daily use and in return, the space agency will purchase the capability to return scientific samples that must remain cold during transit back to Earth.
The objective here is to utilise the 27-year-old space station as much as possible before it retires in 2030. “Leveraging the remaining life of the space station with science and research-led commercial crewed missions is a critical part of the transition to commercial space stations and fully unlocking the orbital economy,” VAST CEO Max Haot said.
As of February 2026, the ISS has hosted 16 private astronauts over four missions launched since April 2022 under the NASA-Axiom Space partnership.
In late January, NASA announced that it has approved a fifth ISS mission with Axiom that will launch no earlier than January 2027. It will consist of four astronauts who will also spend up to two weeks aboard the station conducting experiments advance research in microgravity.
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