The International Space Station (ISS), continuously inhabited for nearly 25 years, is set to be de-orbited around 2030 despite outliving its original 15-year mission.

NASA is partnering with private companies to transition to commercial space stations, with a competition planned to select designs for a 30-day crewed demonstration mission.

California-based Vast Space, in collaboration with SpaceX, plans to launch Haven-1 in May 2026, the world’s first commercial space station.

Haven-1 is a single-module, three-year proof-of-concept designed for four two-week missions, supporting microgravity research and technology development, CNN has reported.

The project aims to provide private and government access while preparing Vast Space to compete for NASA’s ISS successor program.