The European Space Agency signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with American space developer Vast on Monday, October 5, 2026, to secure European access to commercial low-Earth orbit outposts after the International Space Station retires. The bilateral agreement establishes a technical framework to evaluate astronaut flights, scientific payloads, and spacecraft docking compatibility ahead of the orbital laboratory’s projected retirement by December 31, 2030.
The announcement took place during the opening day of the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Turkey, where agency leadership formalized the transition strategy for Europe’s microgravity research. The non-binding document replaces an initial memorandum signed between both parties in June 2024 and broadens institutional cooperation into commercial human spaceflight, technological testing, and orbital logistics.
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Scope of European cooperation with the Haven orbital platform
The partnership initiates a joint feasibility study designed to establish a technical roadmap and a provisional schedule for future binding operational contracts. Under the terms of the memorandum, the intergovernmental agency and Vast will evaluate flight opportunities for European astronauts aboard Haven stations, beginning with the commercial Haven-1 module currently under development. The scope includes dedicated accommodation for European scientific hardware, coordinated research campaigns, and allocated crew time to ensure continuous experimental work between dedicated missions.
European space officials and Vast engineers will also analyze transport parameters, specifically focusing on up-mass and down-mass logistics for scientific payloads returning to Earth. Furthermore, the technical exchange evaluates whether future European cargo and crew vehicles can service the Haven station architecture. Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, emphasized the necessity of planning the orbital transition well ahead of the retirement of existing infrastructure.
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“The International Space Station has been one of the greatest examples of international cooperation in space,” Aschbacher said. “As Europe prepares its future space exploration strategy, we are assessing a range of options for maintaining our presence in Low Earth Orbit. This cooperation with Vast is an important step in helping us define future opportunities for European astronauts, research and technology.”
Key parameters of the European Space Agency and Vast agreement
- Signing date: Monday, October 5, 2026
- Location: 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Turkey
- Agreement duration: 3 years
- Target commercial infrastructure: Haven-1 and future Haven orbital stations
- Current joint missions: 4 crewed flights planned for 2027 to the ISS and Haven-1
- Institutional representation: 23 European member states under ESA Press Release No. 61–2026
Crewed missions and transition timeline toward 2030
The formal signing in Antalya builds upon operational missions that both organizations have already structured for the coming years. The agency and the private company are collaborating on four crewed spaceflights scheduled for 2027 directed to the International Space Station and the commercial Haven-1 platform, an operational agenda that includes the inaugural crewed mission to Vast’s proprietary station. The new memorandum extends beyond those initial orbital flights to address the structural vacuum that the decommissioned International Space Station will leave at the end of the decade.
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Max Haot, Chief Executive Officer of Vast, pointed to the continuity that commercial platforms must provide for international partners once legacy government outposts conclude their service lives.
“ESA and Vast are already collaborating on four crewed missions to the International Space Station and Haven-1 planned for 2027, including the first crewed mission to Haven-1,” Haot said. “This MoU looks beyond those missions to the post-ISS era. We are designing Haven Station to ensure ESA, its astronauts, and its scientists have continued access to low-Earth orbit, while carrying forward the strong international collaboration that has defined the International Space Station.”
Maintaining access to microgravity research remains a strategic objective for the 23 member states of the European Space Agency, which relies on orbital platforms for biological, physical, and materials science experiments that cannot be replicated on the ground. Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency, highlighted that operational readiness must precede the formal deorbiting date of the current space station.
“To ensure Europe’s future in Low Earth Orbit, we need to anticipate and ensure our readiness once the great cooperation on ISS comes to an end,” Neuenschwander said. “In this regard, we are investigating various options to ensure our future collective ability to implement science and technology demonstrations in micro-gravity environment. This effort will also play a key role in creating new flight opportunities for our astronauts corps.”
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Milestones in the European orbital transition process
- June 5, 2024: ESA and Vast sign an initial preliminary memorandum of understanding during the ILA Berlin aerospace airshow in Germany.
- October 5, 2026: Both entities sign an expanded three-year agreement at the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Turkey.
- October 2026: Joint technical teams initiate a feasibility study to draft binding contractual roadmaps for cargo, crew, and payload accommodation.
- 2027: Execution of four planned crewed missions involving the International Space Station and the Haven-1 commercial station.
- 2027: Vast targets the operational deployment and initial human occupancy of the Haven-1 commercial module in low-Earth orbit.
- December 31, 2030: Projected target timeline for international partners to decommission and deorbit the International Space Station.
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Pending financial details and upcoming technical milestones
Neither organization has disclosed financial valuations or direct budgetary commitments associated with the memorandum of understanding signed in Turkey, as the current document functions as a non-binding technical and strategic framework rather than a commercial procurement contract. Commercial terms, payload pricing, and formal seat purchases will depend on the findings of the joint feasibility study that begins this month.
The European Space Agency has not yet announced which members of its astronaut corps will be assigned to the crewed missions planned for 2027 or to the inaugural expedition aboard Haven-1. Technical working groups from the agency and Vast will now proceed with structural assessments to determine docking standards, data interfaces, and payload rack specifications for European hardware intended to operate in orbit through the end of the three-year agreement.
