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On Thursday, SpaceX, spearheaded by Elon Musk, announced a strategic partnership with a California-based startup to facilitate private crewed expeditions to the International Space Station.
The initiative highlights SpaceX’s commitment to expanding humanity’s reach beyond Earth, blending technological innovation with commercial opportunity to redefine space travel.
The proposed missions, awaiting NASA’s authorization, mark a collaborative effort with Vast—a forward-looking company intent on making history by debuting the first-ever commercial space station, potentially as early as next year.
“Enabling payload and crewed missions to the ISS is a key part of Vast’s strategy, allowing us to further our collaboration with NASA and global space agencies,” Vast’s CEO Max Haot said in a statement, which did not provide a timeline.
Having successfully executed three private missions to the International Space Station alongside Axiom Space, SpaceX is now in the advanced stages of preparing for a fourth, further cementing its reputation as a pioneer in the private spaceflight sector.
It has also partnered with Polaris, a venture led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, for two orbital voyages, one of which featured the first spacewalk by non-professional astronauts.
Isaacman has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump as the next NASA administrator, reflecting an era of expanding public-private partnerships in space.
Read also: SpaceX ‘Catches’ Returning Starship With Mechazilla Arms
“I am excited to work with Vast as they build more opportunities and destinations for more people to travel amongst the stars,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer.
Such missions cater to both wealthy individuals and sovereign governments.
The last Axiom mission included astronauts from Italy, Sweden and Turkey, whose seats were sponsored by their respective nations.
Vast, founded in 2021, said it is in active discussions with several governments, including the Czech Republic, about future missions.
With the ISS set to be decommissioned in 2030, Vast is among several companies competing to build and launch the world’s first commercial space station.
