U.S. firm Vast keen to use Indian rockets for rides to its planned space station
U.S.-based company Vast, planning to launch the world's first commercial space station next year, has evinced interest in using Indian rockets to transport crew members to its orbital laboratory.
Vast CEO Max Hoat met the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) leadership team on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference here to discuss possible collaborations in the area of space technology.
The space-habitation company is in the race to build a space station that will be the successor to the International Space Station, which will be retired by 2031.
The California-based company plans to launch Haven-1, a single-module space station, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026.
'Right now, we are on track with our launch for May 2026,' Mr. Hoat told PTI in an interview.
Vast plans to conduct a series of tests on the space station, before flying astronauts to the orbital laboratory by July next year. The first module of Haven-2, a much larger space station, is expected to be launched in 2028.
Mr. Hoat is excited about India's Gaganyaan project, which plans to undertake a human spaceflight by early 2027, and keen to host science payloads on the space station.
'We are interested in flying payloads in science from India. The other interest we have is the possibility of using Gaganyaan rockets as a transport service for our space station,' he said.
India's heavy-lift Launch Vehicle Mark-III is scheduled to take the Gaganyaan mission to a low-earth orbit by early 2027. The LVM-3 rocket has been used for commercial missions, such as the launching of OneWeb satellites in orbit.
In 2023, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) signed a five-year, unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with Vast, with the stated purpose of helping the company's 'concept maturation and eventual implementation of space station modules'.
The Haven-1 spacecraft has a 45-metre-cubed volume and is designed to support up to four crew members for missions of an average of two weeks in length.
It consists of four crew quarters for sleeping, several mid-deck lockers for science modules, a common area with a deployable table and multiple crew interfaces.
'Right now, we are solely focused on the SpaceX offering, but we are interested to hear whether there will be a competitive, reliable, safe option that we can use to bring our customers using the Gaganyaan vehicle to our space station,' Mr. Hoat said.
As India plans to have its own space station, Vast is also open to collaboration with the ISRO for the use of Haven facilities.
'Space is one of the most amazing collaborative fields in the world. And so, we are extremely open to ideas. Some of the ideas that were being discussed is, you know, maybe we can offer access to our space station but also get access to that (India's) space station and share capacity or share size,' Mr. Hoat said.
'We definitely see a lot of opportunities if, obviously, India and the ISRO welcome us to collaborate, especially as our two countries are politically very friendly,' he said.
Mr. Hoat said the two other human-spaceflight-capable countries — Russia and China — are not in the same acceptable region for the current U.S. politics.
'So that creates a unique situation where we might have two human spaceflight capable countries that can work together,' Mr. Hoat said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
From earth to orbit: How Axiom-4 will reach the space station
CAPE CANAVERAL (FLORIDA): When India's Shubhanshu Shukla and his three crewmates lift off aboard the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission on June 10, they'll travel in a previously used SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket and a new Dragon spacecraft—the crew will give it a name in the coming days. But the journey from the launch pad to the International Space Station (ISS), where they'll spend up to a fortnight, is a finely choreographed sequence of events that plays out over 28 hours. TOI explains how: Ready for liftoff The process begins at the historic Launch Complex 39A at Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. To refresh your memory, this is the complex from where Neil Armstrong lifted off to land on Moon! Hours before launch, the four Ax-4 astronauts, suited in custom flight gear, are driven to the pad and board the Dragon capsule—right now designated as 'C213'. Once inside, they complete a series of pre-launch checks alongside teams from SpaceX and Nasa. Roughly 35 minutes before liftoff, Falcon-9's fuelling begins post clearance from the Launch Director and once the crew's emergency escape system is powered on. Rocket is loaded with supercooled liquid oxygen and RP-1, a highly refined rocket-grade kerosene. Dragon switches to internal power at T-5 minutes. By the time the countdown reaches zero, every system must be in perfect alignment. Launch & ascent As the clock approaches T-0, Falcon-9's nine Merlin engines roar to life, lifting the rocket off the pad and into the sky. In just over a minute, it surpasses the speed of sound. At around 57 seconds into flight, it passes the phase known as 'Max Q'—the point of maximum aerodynamic pressure on the vehicle. It's one of the most critical moments where the rocket endures its peak mechanical stress. The climb continues as the rocket steers itself along a precise path to low-Earth orbit (LEO). The crew inside Dragon experience increasing g-forces as Earth's gravity fights their upward momentum. First stage separation Approximately two-and-a-half-minutes after launch, the main engines shut down, and the first stage — the lower part of the rocket — will separate. This stage has done its job and now heads back to Earth. Using cold gas thrusters and grid fins, it manoeuvres for a vertical landing on a floating drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, the second stage engine ignites, pushing Dragon even higher and faster. Atop this stage, the capsule remains attached until it reaches a stable orbit. Entering orbit About 10 minutes after liftoff, Dragon separates from the second stage. Now in orbit, the spacecraft begins flying on its own. Its nose cone opens to reveal navigation instruments and docking sensors, essential for the next phase: catching up with the space station. Dragon is now travelling at more than 27,000 km/hr, circling Earth roughly once every 90 minutes. But the ISS is not in the same orbit just yet, and getting there requires a series of carefully-timed manoeuvres. Chasing the space station The journey to the ISS is not a straight line. It's more like a gradual orbital ballet. Over the course of the next 20 to 24 hours, Dragon executes a series of engine burns using its onboard thrusters. These raise and adjust its orbit, allowing it to phase into alignment with the space station's path. These manoeuvres are planned down to the second. Even a slight delay could affect the rendezvous window. Dragon uses GPS data, radar, and its own sensors to continuously track both its position and that of the ISS. Final approach & docking Once Dragon is within range, it begins a slow and measured approach. It halts at several pre-set points —called waypoints — starting from 400 metres out and moving progressively closer. At each stage, ground controllers and onboard systems assess whether to proceed. At around 20 metres, Dragon makes its final approach. Using a suite of laser-based sensors and cameras, it aligns precisely with the docking port on the station's Harmony module. The spacecraft then moves forward at just a few centimetres per second until it makes contact. The first stage is a soft capture, where magnets gently pull the capsule into position. This is followed by a hard capture: mechanical latches and hooks secure the spacecraft, and a pressure-tight seal is formed between Dragon and the ISS. Welcome aboard With docking complete, the crew is not immediately allowed to exit their vehicle and enter the station. Engineers on the ground conduct a series of leak checks and confirm that the pressure inside the docking vestibule is stable. Once verified, the hatches between Dragon and the ISS are opened. The Ax-4 astronauts then float into the space station, greeted by its current residents. Over the next two weeks, they will conduct a range of scientific experiments, including biomedical studies that could inform treatments for diseases like diabetes. For Shukla, the mission pilot, it marks not just a personal milestone but a proud moment for India's expanding role in global space exploration .
Time of India
36 minutes ago
- Time of India
S&P sees top companies' capex rise to $850 bn over 5 years
Indian companies are set to invest significantly. S&P Global Ratings projects spending of $800-850 billion by 2030. This doubles the previous five-year period's capital expenditure. Investments will likely strengthen credit profiles. Financing will come from operating cash flows. Healthy balance sheets and government policies support this growth. Successful execution will expand operational scale for India Inc. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: India's top companies will spend $800-850 billion over the next five years to 2030, doubling the capital expenditure amount spent in the previous five-year period, S&P Global Ratings said on Tuesday. These investment plans are likely to strengthen credit profiles than weaken them, it added."Indian companies are well positioned for a growth run," said Neel Gopalakrishnan, S&P Global Ratings credit analyst. "Barring execution mistakes or negative macro changes, these investments should boost business scale without driving up leverage."The analysis by the ratings agency covers top 100 Indian companies by market capitalisation and some unlisted firms, and incorporates a study by Crisil Intelligence, a subsidiary of S&P Global for these investments will primarily come from operating cash flows, except for power sector, and will be supported by domestic funding options, according to the report titled 'India Inc's spending spree will likely pay off'.Balance sheets are currently at their healthiest level in years, according to the report. Companies are ramping up investments to meet demand, bolstered by favourable government policies and a positive economic outlook. Successful implementation of these plans is expected to expand operational scale, it added.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
3 agencies to work to curb road dust in Delhi-NCR, focus on paving, greening
In a significant step towards reducing dust pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, three key agencies will now work together under a structured framework for the redevelopment of urban Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) and the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi, to jointly implement a Standard Framework aimed at curbing road dust agreement outlines a comprehensive redevelopment strategy that prioritises paving and greening of footpaths and sidewalks to address the persistent issue of dust pollution. As part of this collaboration, a Project Monitoring Cell (PMC) will be set up at CAQM, with both CSIR-CRRI and SPA providing technical and institutional support. The PMC will coordinate and oversee the phased rollout of the framework across NCR states, ensuring adherence to the detailed redevelopment initial phase of implementation will focus on nine major urban and industrial centres in the NCR: Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Sonipat, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi and Neemrana. The framework will benefit from CSIR-CRRI's expertise in road engineering, standardisation and asset management, combined with SPA's proficiency in sustainable urban planning and green redevelopment model includes specific features such as designing road cross-sections based on road type and Right of Way (ROW) width, incorporating greening measures within the ROW to suppress dust, and deploying a Web-GIS-based Road Asset Management System (RAMS) to ensure efficient maintenance. It also advocates the use of innovative technologies in road construction and upkeep to further control dust and SPA will guide the PMC in manpower planning and provide technical supervision throughout the redevelopment process. A dedicated dashboard is also being developed to enable real-time, data-driven monitoring and assessment of progress across project move comes shortly after CAQM enforced Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-I) in Delhi-NCR and neighbouring regions, following a deterioration in air quality. The decision was made after a meeting of the GRAP subcommittee last Saturday, which reviewed air quality trends, weather forecasts and the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi. The introduction of GRAP-I marks the beginning of stricter anti-pollution measures during the smog-prone latest redevelopment initiative is expected to complement GRAP actions by addressing one of the major contributors to Delhi-NCR's air pollution: dust from unpaved roads and poorly maintained urban surfaces.
