NASA to let private company Vast visit space station for private mission in 2027

Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel on Feb 13, 2026

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NASA has let Axiom Space make four visits to the International Space Station and last month awarded it the right for the fifth visit next year, but on Thursday the agency announced a new company would be allowed a private mission as well.

Vast, based in Long Beach, California, on track to build its own space station, has signed an order with NASA for what would be the sixth private mission to the ISS with a launch no earlier than summer 2027 from Florida.

“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,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in a press release. “We’re proud to welcome Vast to this growing community of commercial partners.”

Vast’s goal with the mission is to gain insight into the infrastructure and processes that will be needed to support its own human spaceflight missions. Vast was not chosen by NASA in its original pursuit of commercial companies developing space stations, but it hopes to play a game of catchup with its eventual planned station called Haven-2.

“Leveraging the remaining life of the International 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,” said Vast CEO Max Haot.

For the two-week trip, Vast put a call out for research proposals and will focus on biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, human research and technology demonstrations.

Vast launched with SpaceX the small Haven Demo spacecraft in 2025 with plans to launch Haven-1, with a habitable area about the size of a moving truck, in 2027.

Its goal is to add modules and allow permanent human presence by 2030.

Axiom Space isn’t out of the game, though. It earlier this year signed an order for the fifth mission to launch no earlier than January 2027. It was the first company to visit the station contracting with SpaceX for rides on its Crew Dragon spacecraft for about two-week stays on board. The Axiom 1 mission flew in April 2022 led by former NASA astronaut turned Axiom Space employee Michael López-Alegría leading three men who paid $55 million each for the trip to space.

A second mission followed in 2023, this time commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and López-Alegría leading Ax-3 in 2024 and Whitson Ax-4 in 2025. The company shifted its customer strategy from individuals to countries looking for an opportunity to send professional astronauts to space.

Those have included astronauts for India, Hungary, Poland, Sweden and Saudi Arabia. The company will submit its next four proposed crew members for NASA and its international partners to review, after which they will begin training for the mission.

“All four previous missions have expanded the global community of space explorers, diversifying scientific investigations in microgravity, and providing significant insight that is benefitting the development of our next-generation space station, Axiom Station,” said company president and CEO Jonathan Cirtain.

Axiom Space also is working on NASA’s next-generation spacesuits for the Artemis program and has designs to build its own space station by first attaching modules to the ISS that would eventually separate as the ISS is decommissioned.

“The International Space Station is a critical platform for enabling commercial industry in low Earth orbit,” said Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station Program. “Private astronaut missions allow the station to be used as a proving ground for new markets and technologies while enabling science, research, and outreach to contribute to a growing space economy.”

For both the fifth Axiom Space mission and the first Vast mission, the companies will purchase from NASA mission services such as food, storage and on-orbit resources, although NASA will in return purchase from them the capacity to return scientific samples kept cold during transit back to Earth.

Axiom has used SpaceX for each of its previous four missions, and Vast has already announced it will fly a Crew Dragon for its mission.

NASA sought proposals for the private missions in March 2025.

“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,” Isaacman said.

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