Ashlee VanceNYT Best Seller | Reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek

The Tiny Space Startup Doing What Governments Can't #space #iss #spacex #astronomy #astronaut

9 Jul 2026 · 0 min

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The International Space Station is aging and damaged after decades in orbit, but Vast Space, a commercial startup, is building a private replacement. The company aims to create a new orbital habitat that could take over the ISS's scientific mission.

The ISS, of course, is one of humanity's great achievements. It has bonded nations around science and our shared yearning to explore and go beyond Earth. It is, however, also way past its sell-by date. It creaks, it leaks, and it's been bombarded by space debris for decades. We're at the headquarters of Vast Space. They are a commercial space habitat company. They're gonna try to replace the ISS, and we are gonna check on their progress.