Bharatiya Antariksh Station

By R Anil Kumar

• US startup eyes ISRO as key ally, offers seat aboard its 2026 orbiting lab

• While the Bharat Antariksh station is currently built to work with SpaceX transport systems, Vast CEO Max Haot expressed interest in integrating India’s upcoming Gaganyaancrew vehicle as a potential alternative

Bengaluru. As India eyes its ambitious Bharat Antariksh Station, a new international player is looking to come aboard.

US-based space habitation startup Vast has offered to partner with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the project, with a proposal that could see Indian engineers and scientists working aboard Vast’s own orbiting lab as early as next year.

In early May, Vast CEO Max Haot met with ISRO officials to discuss a possible collaboration in human spaceflight and space station development.

Vast is set to launch Haven-1, a single-module private space station, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in May 2026. With a mission life of three years, Haven-1 is intended to pave the way for Haven-2, which the company hopes will eventually fill the void left by the retiring International Space Station (ISS) in 2031.

Haven-1 is designed to support up to four astronauts for two-week missions, offering 45 cubic metres of living space. It includes four sleeping quarters, science lockers, a shared workspace, and multiple crew interfaces.

While the station is currently built to work with SpaceX transport systems, Haot expressed interest in integrating India’s upcoming Gaganyaan crew vehicle as a potential alternative.

“Right now, we are solely focused on the SpaceX offering, but we are interested to hear whether there will be a competitive, reliable, safe option that we can use to bring our customers using the Gaganyaan vehicle to our space station,” he said.

India, which aims to launch the first module of its Bharat Antariksh Station by 2028 and complete the facility by 2035, could find a strategic partner in Vast.

“We definitely see a lot of opportunities if obviously India and ISRO welcome it to collaborate, especially (given) that our two countries are politically very friendly,” Haot said.

“Right now, the other two human spaceflight-capable countries (Russia and China) are not in the same acceptable region for current US politics. So, that creates a unique situation where we might have two human spaceflight-capable countries that can work together.”

The ISS, a cooperative venture between the US, Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency, has long been a symbol of international collaboration in orbit. Meanwhile, China launched its own space station ‘Tiangong’ in 2021 and maintains a consistent human presence in space.

NASA has also thrown its support behind Vast’s vision, signing a five-year, unfunded Space Act Agreement in 2023 to aid in the maturation of the company’s space station concepts.

Indian scientists and engineers could be hosted on Haven-1, while Vast could potentially gain access to India’s future space station facilities.

Haven-2 is expected to be operational by 2028 and fully completed by 2032, offering significantly greater capacity and aiming to serve both government and commercial users.

The ISS, currently a collaborative project involving the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency, is nearing its decommissioning. In this context, Vast sees a unique opportunity for US-India collaboration, as the two countries are politically aligned and, apart from Russia and China, are the only nations with independent human spaceflight capabilities.

India’s own space station initiative, the Bharat Antariksh Station, is slated to see its first module launched in 2028, with completion targeted for 2035.

The collaboration with Vast could provide ISRO with valuable expertise in space station operations and accelerate India’s ambitions in crewed spaceflight, especially as ISRO prepares for its Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission in 2027.

Vast has also expressed interest in using Indian rockets, such as those developed for Gaganyaan, to transport crew to its station, provided they meet safety and reliability standards.

Vast’s partnership with NASA, under a five-year, unfunded Space Act Agreement, aims to mature the company’s space station concepts and facilitate eventual implementation.

The company is on track to complete the primary structure of Haven-1 by July 2025, with crewed missions expected to begin shortly after its launch in 2026. This potential US-India partnership could mark a significant step in the post-ISS era, ensuring continued international collaboration and human presence in low Earth orbit.

The Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), or Indian Space Station, is a planned modular space station that India is developing to be operational by 2035. The first module is scheduled for launch in 2028. The BAS will be used for scientific research in a microgravity environment, enabling India to conduct long-duration human spaceflight missions.

Here’s a more detailed look at the BAS:

Purpose:

The BAS will serve as a platform for the scientific research, technological advancements, and human spaceflight studies.

Location:

The station will be located in low Earth orbit, approximately 400-450 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.

Design:

It will be a modular space station, meaning, it will be assembled in stages with multiple modules. The first module is expected to be launched in 2028.

Modules:

The BAS will consist of five modules: the base module, the core module, the science module, the laboratory module, and the common working module.

Human Operations:

While the initial module launch will be focused on robotic operations, human operations are planned to begin in 2035.

Significance:

The BAS will enhance India’s global standing in space exploration, allow for research and development in microgravity, and contribute to the development of human spaceflight technologies.

Development:

The BAS project is being developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).