Overview
- SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Bandwagon-4 launched Haven Demo on November 2 from Cape Canaveral, and the spacecraft deployed its solar array, returned 4K footage, and achieved a stable, power-positive configuration.
- The 515‑kilogram satellite will operate for roughly six months near 500 kilometers altitude to exercise computers, power, software, guidance and control, radio, reaction control, and propulsion systems.
- Haven‑1’s primary structure, including its hatch and 1.1‑meter domed window, completed pressure and load acceptance testing in Mojave, with final weld inspections and clean‑room integration up next.
- Vast plans to send Haven‑1 to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility for acoustics, vibration, electromagnetic interference, and thermal‑vacuum evaluations before shipment to Cape Canaveral for launch processing.
- Haven‑1 targets a Falcon 9 launch no earlier than May 2026 with short crew visits on SpaceX’s Dragon, positioning Vast in the competition for NASA Commercial LEO Destinations Phase 2 funding expected in 2026.