Vast, a space station developer focused on enabling long-term human presence in orbit, announced that it has raised $500 million in new funding to accelerate the production of its Haven space stations and advance the commercial low-Earth orbit economy. The financing round was led by Balerion Space Ventures and included participation from IQT, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Mitsui & Co., Ltd., MUFG, Nikon Corporation, Stellar Ventures, Space Capital, and Earthrise Ventures. Vast founder Jed McCaleb also participated in the round. As part of the investment, A.C. Charania, an advisor at Balerion and former Chief Technologist for NASA, will join the company’s board.
The funding consists of $300 million in Series A equity and $200 million in debt financing. Vast plans to use the capital to expand its facilities, grow its workforce, and accelerate development of its Haven space station program.
Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Long Beach, California, Vast is building a series of commercial space stations designed to support microgravity research, in-space manufacturing, and astronaut missions. The company’s roadmap includes near-term stations in low-Earth orbit as well as future habitats designed for the Moon and Mars.
Vast previously flew its Haven Demo spacecraft in 2025, which served as an in-orbit testbed for technologies that will be used in the company’s first operational station. According to the company, the mission successfully validated a range of systems and reduced technical risk ahead of the next phase of development.
The company is currently integrating Haven-1, which is expected to launch in 2027 and is designed to become the world’s first commercial space station. Vast is also preparing for a private astronaut mission to the International Space Station that it recently secured through NASA.
Looking further ahead, Vast plans to develop Haven-2, a larger successor station intended to help replace the International Space Station when it retires around 2030. The company says its vertically integrated manufacturing model has already reduced primary structure production costs by about 10 times compared with traditional space station programs.
To date, more than $1 billion has been invested in Vast’s space station technology and facilities, positioning the company to support future commercial, governmental, and defense-related operations in orbit.
KEY QUOTES:
“This investment underscores the market’s strong conviction in both our strategy and our engineering. The low-Earth orbit economy is at a pivotal inflection point, poised for rapid growth. Vast’s Haven stations are engineered to deliver safe, cost-effective access to microgravity research and in-space manufacturing, empowering government and commercial partners to unlock the full commercial promise of this next era for space.”
Max Haot, CEO Of Vast
“With its impressive hardware and expertise, Vast is the only operational commercial space station company to have designed, built, and flown its own spacecraft, Haven Demo, which successfully completed its mission last month. The mission reduced technical risk by testing a myriad of technologies that will be used on Haven-1. Haven stations will play a critical role in sustaining a continuous human presence in orbit and the LEO economy while providing nations around the world the opportunity to strengthen leadership in space. Vast’s engineering excellence and global vision set them apart.”
A.C. Charania, Advisor At Balerion Space Ventures And Former Chief Technologist For NASA
“Vast was founded with a long-term vision of billions of people living and thriving in space. Achieving a goal of this magnitude requires deliberate stepping stones, and our strategy of building, testing, and iterating with real hardware is delivering results. It is exciting to welcome additional investors who recognize Vast’s long-term potential and share our belief in making this vision a reality.”
Jed McCaleb, Founder Of Vast
