Elon Musk-led SpaceX on Thursday secured a contract to conduct two additional private astronaut missions to the International Space Station (ISS). These missions will utilize the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule.

What Happened: SpaceX's Falcon 9 will launch two spaceflight missions for Vast Space, a California-based company.

Vast Space is focused on developing a private space station named Haven-1, which could potentially launch into orbit next year using a Falcon 9 rocket. The company's CEO Max Haot highlighted the significance of these missions in strengthening their collaboration with NASA and other space agencies, according to an announcement by the company.

Haot further mentioned that these missions enhance Vast's capabilities in human spaceflight operations and position the company as a strong contender to develop the next-generation ISS successor.

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Vast is participating in NASA's Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination program with its Haven-2 design, which could be operational by 2028.

While NASA has not yet approved Vast's planned missions, SpaceX expressed readiness to proceed once approval is granted. SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell expressed enthusiasm for working with Vast to expand space travel opportunities.

"I am excited to work with Vast as they build more opportunities and destinations for more people to travel amongst the stars."

Why It Matters: The partnership between SpaceX and Vast Space comes at a time when the Musk-led startup is making significant strides in space exploration.

Recently, SpaceX's Starship was selected by Lunar Outpost to deliver its new moon rover, Eagle, to the lunar surface following a successful suborbital test flight. This highlights SpaceX's growing role in lunar exploration.

SpaceX has also been selected to launch NASA's Dragonfly mission to Saturn's largest moon, Titan, in 2028, further cementing its position as a key player in space exploration. This mission, priced at approximately $256.6 million, will utilize the Falcon Heavy rocket, showcasing SpaceX's diverse capabilities in launching complex space missions.

However, it hasn't been all smooth sailing for NASA, on the other hand. The agency's plans for the Artemis missions have faced delays, with the Artemis 3 mission now slated for mid-2027.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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