France will send two astronauts, Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost, on missions in 2027 to Vast Space’s Haven-1, with one crew member expected to stay aboard the private station.

The mission would mark a historic shift in spaceflight governance, as CNES notes the ISS mission could proceed without American command of a US capsule if approved.

All Vast flights will launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets, and the Haven-1 mission will require consent from NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, JAXA, and CSA, the ISS partners.

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Prost is regarded highly within the aerospace community for his technical and leadership capabilities.

The deal features key institutional backers including In-Q-Tel, Qatar Investment Authority, Mitsui & Co., MUFG, Nikon, Stellar Ventures, Space Capital, and Earthrise Ventures, with Jed McCaleb still a major shareholder.

Prost’s background spans École Polytechnique, armament engineering, astrophysics, space sciences, fighter pilot experience, deep-sea diving, and high-altitude flight testing with the French Air and Space Force.

A.C. Charania joined Vast Space’s board as part of the 2026 financing, bringing governance and policy expertise.

Vast announced a $500 million funding round on April 2 to advance Haven-1, Haven-2, manufacturing, crew systems, and human-rating certification.

Prost completed basic training in May, reaching a key milestone toward an operational assignment.

French President Macron disclosed the announcements at the Choose France summit on June 1, 2026.

Vast unveiled the Vast Satellite program, aiming at high-performance satellites for communications, Earth observation, national security, and data-center orbit networks.