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Ibadan, 10 April 2024. – Vast Space has announced that its Haven-1 commercial space station will feature SpaceX’s Starlink user terminal, consequently providing Gigabit/s speed low-latency connectivity to its crew users, internal payload racks, external cameras and instruments.
The Haven-1 crew will be able to connect their personal devices via Wi-Fi to the Starlink network and have better internet connectivity in orbit to host outreach video calls and perform experiments and science. Furthermore, the crew will be able to use high-speed internet during crew rest time.
This comes as Vast and SpaceX reached an agreement for SpaceX to provide Starlink connectivity to future Vast platforms beyond Haven 1. This includes connectivity for Vast’s next space station, which the company plans to bid for in NASA’s upcoming commercial Low Earth Orbit destinations (CLDs) competition. As a result, the partnership will continue to create and accelerate greater accessibility to space and more opportunities for exploration on the road to making humanity multi-planetary.
Speaking on the development, Max Haot, Vast’s CEO, commented, “If you need to provide high-speed, low-latency, continuous internet connectivity on a space station in orbit in 2025, SpaceX Starlink is the only option. We expect their network and technology leading position to continue and accelerate over time, which is why we are happy to have the chance to partner with SpaceX on deploying their first laser connectivity for a space station.”
Likewise, Stephanie Bednarek, SpaceX’s Senior Director of Commercial Sales., commented, “High-speed, low-latency connectivity on orbit for crew and critical scientific research is critical to any space station experience. We are excited for Vast’s Haven-1 to be the first commercial space station to stay connected with Starlink.”
