---
type: source
title: "Vast Delays Haven-1 Launch to Q1 2027 Due to Manufacturing Pace"
author: "Payload Space / Vast Space PR"
url: https://payloadspace.com/vast-delays-haven-1-launch-to-2027/
date: 2026-01-21
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: enrichment
priority: high
tags: [commercial-stations, Haven-1, Vast, manufacturing, life-support, timeline-slip]
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-03-21
enrichments_applied: ["commercial space stations are the next infrastructure bet as ISS retirement creates a void that 4 companies are racing to fill by 2030.md", "launch cost reduction is the keystone variable that unlocks every downstream space industry at specific price thresholds.md"]
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

Vast has delayed the Haven-1 commercial space station launch from its 2026 target (most recently mid-2026) to no earlier than Q1 2027. The company attributed the delay to "development and manufacturing pace" — specifically the pace of integrating critical systems including thermal control, life support, and propulsion.

Haven-1's integration is proceeding in three phases:
- Phase 1 (underway): Pressurized fluid systems including thermal control, life support, propulsion tubes, component trays and tanks
- Phase 2: Avionics, guidance/navigation/control, air revitalization hardware
- Phase 3: Crew habitation details, micrometeorite protection

The company framed the delay positively: "With each milestone, the team gains more data and greater certainty." The primary structure was completed in July 2025 (ahead of target). Environmental testing is expected to complete in 2026.

Critical architecture note: Haven-1 is NOT an independent station. The SpaceX Dragon capsule provides life support and power for crew missions — Haven-1 itself does not have a fully independent life support system. This means operational viability depends on Dragon availability and ISS precedent (the station effectively functions as a Dragon-serviced module).

Launch vehicle: SpaceX Falcon 9. The delay is explicitly NOT about launch cost or launch availability.

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** This is direct evidence that the binding constraint for the first commercial space station is technology development pace (life support, avionics integration) — NOT launch cost. Falcon 9 is available and priced at ~$67M per launch. Vast could launch tomorrow if the hardware were ready. The constraint is manufacturing maturity.

**What surprised me:** Haven-1's dependency on Dragon for life support. This isn't a fully independent station — it's closer to a Dragon-serviced outpost. This reduces Haven-1's standalone commercial viability but also reduces the technology development burden (they don't need to solve closed-loop life support independently, just the module hardware).

**What I expected but didn't find:** A clear statement about what Haven-2 (the full commercial station) requires — and whether it's Starship-dependent. Haven-1 is the precursor, but the business model depends on Haven-2 and NASA's Phase 2 funding.

**KB connections:**
- [[commercial space stations are the next infrastructure bet as ISS retirement creates a void that 4 companies are racing to fill by 2030]] — evidences the timeline challenge for "first mover" advantage
- [[knowledge embodiment lag means technology is available decades before organizations learn to use it optimally creating a productivity paradox]] — life support integration at commercial pace is evidence of knowledge embodiment lag in space habitation systems

**Extraction hints:**
1. "Commercial station timelines are constrained by life support and habitation system integration pace, not launch cost" — this is the specific disconfirmation of launch-cost-as-primary-constraint for this phase of the space economy
2. "Haven-1's Dragon dependency creates correlated risk between SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon availability and commercial station operations" — single-player dependency extends from launch to operations

**Context:** Vast is funded by Jared Isaacman (previously). The company is unusual among commercial station developers in not having NASA CLD Phase 1 funding — they've been entirely privately funded. Haven-1 launch on Falcon 9 with Dragon crew operations; Haven-2 would be larger and potentially Starship-launched.

## Curator Notes
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[commercial space stations are the next infrastructure bet as ISS retirement creates a void that 4 companies are racing to fill by 2030]]
WHY ARCHIVED: First-mover commercial station delay is due to manufacturing/technology pace, not launch cost — directly evidences that launch cost has crossed its threshold for this application
EXTRACTION HINT: The extractor should focus on binding constraint identification: Haven-1 is launch-cost-independent in its delay, implicating technology development pace as the new binding constraint post-launch-cost-threshold


## Key Facts
- Haven-1 primary structure completed July 2025, ahead of target
- Haven-1 integration proceeds in three phases: Phase 1 (pressurized fluid systems), Phase 2 (avionics and air revitalization), Phase 3 (crew habitation and micrometeorite protection)
- Haven-1 launch vehicle is SpaceX Falcon 9 at approximately $67M per launch
- Vast is privately funded, not a NASA CLD Phase 1 recipient
- Haven-1 environmental testing expected to complete in 2026
