---
type: source
title: "NASA awards Axiom 5th and Vast 1st private astronaut missions to ISS (February 2026)"
author: "NASASpaceFlight / NASA Press Release"
url: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/02/vast-axiom-2026-pam/
date: 2026-02-12
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: thread
status: processed
priority: high
tags: [private-astronaut-mission, ISS, Vast, Axiom, NASA-CLD, commercial-station, demand-formation]
---

## Content

On February 12, 2026, NASA awarded two new private astronaut missions (PAMs) to ISS:
- **Axiom Space**: 5th private astronaut mission (Axiom Mission 5), targeting early 2027
- **Vast Space**: 1st private astronaut mission, targeting summer 2027 (NASA's 6th PAM overall)

Both missions launch on SpaceX Crew Dragon. Vast's mission will last approximately 14 days.

As part of the award, Vast will purchase crew consumables, cargo delivery opportunities, and storage from NASA. In return, NASA will purchase the capability of returning scientific samples that must be kept cold during transit.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated: "Private astronaut missions represent more than access to the International Space Station — they create opportunities for new ideas, companies, and capabilities."

Vast and Axiom are also both continuing work on their respective commercial space stations (Haven-1/Haven-2 and Axiom Station).

Sources: NASASpaceFlight (Feb 26), Daily Galaxy (March), Phys.org (Feb), Aviation Week (multiple articles)

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** Two separate signals: (1) NASA is NOT consolidating toward Axiom alone — they're actively developing Vast as a competitor, giving it operational ISS experience before Haven-1 launches. (2) The PAM mechanism creates a revenue stream for commercial station operators independent of Phase 2 CLD. This is a demand formation tool that keeps multiple competitors viable while Phase 2 freezes.

**What surprised me:** Vast getting its first-ever PAM on the same day as Axiom's 5th — this is an explicit signal that NASA is not letting Axiom become a monopoly. Vast is being fast-tracked to operational status. This contradicts the "Axiom will dominate" thesis.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Any mention of Phase 2 CLD implications. The PAM award came February 12, two weeks after Phase 2 was frozen (January 28). NASA is actively using PAMs as a parallel track to keep the commercial ecosystem alive while Phase 2 is on hold.

**KB connections:**
- government-anchor-demand (pending claim) — NASA PAMs are a secondary government demand mechanism that keeps commercial programs alive through the Phase 2 freeze
- single-player-dependency — NASA explicitly hedging toward two players (Axiom + Vast)
- Potential connection to Rio's capital formation claims — Vast PAM award makes Haven-1 commercially meaningful even before it launches

**Extraction hints:**
1. "NASA's private astronaut mission awards function as a demand bridge during commercial station development phases, creating revenue streams independent of CLD Phase 2" (confidence: likely)
2. "NASA's simultaneous award of Axiom's 5th and Vast's 1st PAM signals deliberate anti-monopoly positioning in the commercial station market" (confidence: experimental — this is inference from the pattern, not stated NASA policy)

**Context:** Axiom has 4 prior PAM missions (Ax-1 through Ax-4). Vast has zero. Giving Vast its first PAM while Axiom gets its 5th signals that NASA is investing in Vast's operational maturation — giving them crew operations experience before Haven-1 even launches.

## Curator Notes
PRIMARY CONNECTION: space-governance-must-be-designed-before-settlements-exist (PAMs as governance demand-bridge mechanism) AND the pending claim about government anchor demand
WHY ARCHIVED: Critical evidence that NASA is actively maintaining multi-party competition via PAM mechanism even during Phase 2 freeze — challenges simple "NASA freeze = market collapse" framing
EXTRACTION HINT: The anti-monopoly positioning inference is the key claim. Focus on NASA simultaneously awarding first PAM to newcomer and 5th to incumbent — this is deliberate portfolio management.
