Vast: spinning stick, wheel roadmap and Haven-1/2

Vast Space (founded by SpaceX alumni) is the only company in the thread with a funded rotating-station roadmap.

Summary of what the thread established

• 2022 announcement. A baton/rotating-station design: Twark_Main said Vast "just nailed this design" Twark_Main, 2022-08-20. Paul451 called it the cheapest design for its size: a ~40-person station where despin/respin docking is the cheapest option Paul451, 2022-08-27.
• mikelepage's critique: multiple launches, ISS-level in-orbit assembly, wasted internal volume, and a large MoI that precludes frequent start/stop mikelepage, 2022-09-07.
• Roadmap (May 2023): "2030s 100-meter spinning stick stations"; a 7-module stick delivered by Starship neoforce, 2023-05-11.
• No counter-rotating airlock; ethane/N₂O RCS (Impulse Saiph) LMT, 2023-05-11; LMT, 2023-06-16.
• Haven-1 has an AG experiment LMT, 2023-05-13. Coastal Ron: Haven-1 is a testbed (AG part-time; 4 crew for up to 30 days) Coastal Ron, 2023-05-12.
• ~7 m modules, to fit any fairing mikelepage, 2023-06-03.
• JohnFornaro: the baton is too short for multiple g-levels at once; the roadmap adds spokes until it looks like the 2001 wheel (2040s) JohnFornaro, 2023-06-10.
• "Wheel station" image (~May 2023; hidden Nov–Dec 2023 but still in the page source) LMT, 2024-08-02; LMT, 2024-08-02:
• Two dark axial rings (~15 m), possibly collapsible water tanks for mass-bias trim like Queijo 1988.
• Inner modules at ~1/3 of the outer radius, so Mars g outer and lunar g inner.
• PV >200 kW each.
• Paul451: speculative reading Paul451, 2024-08-03.
• Stability of the stick.
• Twark_Main's estimate: 110 m × 7 m of modules (~450 t) plus ~18.7 t of arrays gives a MoI ratio ≈ 1.01–1.03, so it is not passively stable Twark_Main, 2024-09-20.
• Vast likely combines mass distribution with CMGs applying restoring torque mikelepage, 2024-09-19; Twark_Main, 2024-09-19.
• At IAC 2024 Vast leaned toward internal mass and hanging arrays LMT, 2024-08-26; Twark_Main, 2024-08-27.
• CCSC-2 (2023): Vast is a partner for microgravity and AG stations (Haven-1, Vast-1, larger modules) LMT, 2023-06-16.
• Human lunar-g attempt. A Vast-1/Haven-1 docked configuration was to attempt a human lunar-g AG experiment LMT, 2024-02-09. Haven-1 will perform lunar AG demo tests StraumliBlight, 2025-09-28.
• 2025 update: a Haven-2 5- and 9-module ISS-replacement strategy; a habitat production line; AG receding mikelepage, 2025-09-28; mikelepage, 2025-09-28.
• Haven-1 was painted in Oct 2025; launch reported for 2027 on Falcon 9 JulesVerneATV, 2025-10-11.
• 2026 roadmap: a rotating station follows Haven-2, an end-over-end "train" of modules with side panels, ~2035 Vultur, 2026-08-23. Coastal Ron: a stick has IA issues; a testbed, not a station Coastal Ron, 2026-08-23.
• Vast's large docking adapter standard with 2.9 m ports, used for Island Zero lamontagne, 2026-08-20.

Open questions

• Will Vast's stick be passively stable, or depend on CMGs and moving mass?

Related pages

• Dumbbell/barbell · Stability · Marketing

Sources

Forum posts

• Twark_Main, 2022-08-20 (reply #1727, 1 like): Vast announced baton. Post.
• Paul451, 2022-08-27 (reply #1730, 1 like): Cheapest for size. Post.
• mikelepage, 2022-09-07 (reply #1751, 1 like): Critique. Post.
• neoforce, 2023-05-11 (reply #3685): Vast roadmap. Post.
• LMT, 2023-05-11 (reply #3686): No counter-rotating airlock. Post. Attachments: VAST_Spinning_Stick.png.
• Coastal Ron, 2023-05-12 (reply #3688): Haven-1 testbed. Post.
• LMT, 2023-05-13 (reply #3704): Haven-1 AG experiment. Post. Attachments: VAST starship module.png, VAST haven-1 RCS.png.
• mikelepage, 2023-06-03 (reply #3773, 1 like): ~7 m modules. Post.
• JohnFornaro, 2023-06-10 (reply #3826): Too short; wheel later. Post. Attachments: Vast-Ring-Station-06-10-23.jpg.
• LMT, 2023-06-16 (reply #3877, 1 like): CCSC-2. Post. Attachments: SpaceX LEO destination - Berger 6.15.23.png.
• LMT, 2023-06-16 (reply #3879): Impulse Saiph thrusters. Post. Attachments: Saiph.jpeg.
• LMT, 2024-02-09 (reply #4463, 1 like): Vast-1/Haven-1 lunar-g. Post. Attachments: Shiba et al. 2017 Fig1.png, Wadhwa et al. 2023 poster session detail.png.
• LMT, 2024-08-02 (reply #4689): Wheel image. Post. Attachments: vast space - wheel station.jpg, Queijo et al. 1988 Fig2.0-1.png.
• LMT, 2024-08-02 (reply #4696): Analysis. Post. Attachments: Vast Space - ring detail.png.
• Paul451, 2024-08-03 (reply #4707, 1 like): Speculative. Post.
• LMT, 2024-08-26 (reply #4765): IAC 2024. Post. Attachments: logo-ext.png.
• Twark_Main, 2024-08-27 (reply #4766): Leaning to #3 and #1. Post.
• mikelepage, 2024-09-19 (reply #4800, 2 likes): Mass distribution + CMGs. Post.
• Twark_Main, 2024-09-19 (reply #4801, 1 like): CMGs. Post.
• Twark_Main, 2024-09-20 (reply #4804): MoI ratio ~1.01. Post.
• mikelepage, 2025-09-28 (reply #5002): Haven-2 strategy. Post.
• mikelepage, 2025-09-28 (reply #5004): AG receding. Post.
• StraumliBlight, 2025-09-28 (reply #5005, 1 like): Haven-1 lunar AG demo. Post. Attachments: Lunar Artificial Gravity Demo.jpg.
• JulesVerneATV, 2025-10-11 (reply #5009): Haven-1 status. Post.
• lamontagne, 2026-08-20 (reply #5082, 1 like): 2.9 m ports. Post. Attachments: Image10_002.jpg, Image9_002.jpg, Image10_000.jpg, Image14_001.jpg, Image22.jpg.
• Vultur, 2026-08-23 (reply #5084): 2026 roadmap. Post.
• Coastal Ron, 2026-08-23 (reply #5085): Stick IA issues. Post.

External references

• vastspace.com/roadmap