LONG BEACH, California: Vast, a pioneering aerospace company focused on developing humanity’s next-generation space stations, has announced the public release of its Haven-1 virtual reality (VR) app, offering users a unique opportunity to explore the interior of the world’s first commercial space station.
The app, now available on Meta, the App Store, and Steam, provides an immersive experience that simulates life aboard Haven-1, designed with a human-centric approach to long-term space habitation.
Haven-1 VR invites space enthusiasts, educators, and the global community to virtually engage with the station’s advanced technology and living spaces. Users can explore key areas such as the crew quarters, common area, and the Haven-1 Lab, gaining insight into the daily routines and scientific activities of astronauts aboard the station.
A highlight of the app is the involvement of Vast’s Lead Astronaut Andrew Feustel, a former Acting Chief Astronaut at NASA with three space missions and 197 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Feustel not only narrates the simulation but also played an advisory role in its development, ensuring the experience authentically reflects life on a space station. His expertise was crucial in accurately recreating the environment and operations of Haven-1.
The VR journey begins at Vast’s headquarters in Long Beach, California, where users are greeted by Feustel and introduced to the station’s design and manufacturing process. The app then guides users through Haven-1’s interior, allowing them to interact with life support systems and other critical components that maintain the station’s functionality.
Users can simulate routine astronaut activities such as running experiments, accessing storage for food and equipment, and monitoring the station’s systems through a digital crew interface. This hands-on interaction offers a realistic glimpse into the responsibilities and challenges faced by astronauts in space.
One of the app’s standout features is the Haven-1 Lab, the first commercial microgravity research, development, and manufacturing platform aboard a crewed space station. Users can check on ongoing experiments and view payloads from the station’s inaugural lab partners, Redwire and Yuri, both leaders in microgravity payload development. This feature highlights the station’s role as a hub for cutting-edge scientific research in space.
The app also showcases the station’s 1.1-meter domed window, providing an immersive 180-degree view of Earth. This element is designed to replicate the “overview effect,” a profound cognitive shift reported by astronauts when viewing Earth from orbit. Feustel contributed to the design of this experience, ensuring it captures the emotional and visual impact of seeing the planet from space.
Additionally, the VR simulation features the revolutionary zero-gravity sleep system, engineered to provide astronauts with optimal support and comfort during rest periods in microgravity. This system exemplifies the human-centric design philosophy guiding Haven-1’s development.
Haven-1 is scheduled to launch no earlier than May 2026 and represents a critical step toward Vast’s broader vision of enabling long-term human habitation in space. The company is also working on Haven-2, a proposed successor to the ISS, intended to serve NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations (CLD) program as a microgravity laboratory.
Founded in 2021 by Jed McCaleb, Vast aims to advancing space technology and infrastructure to support sustainable human life beyond Earth. The company’s long-term goal includes developing artificial gravity habitats to facilitate extended space living, reinforcing its mission to create a spacefaring future accessible to all.
The Haven-1 VR app is now available for download on Meta, the App Store, and Steam, allowing users worldwide to follow Vast’s progress and experience a close-up look at the future of commercial space stations.
