SpaceX launches satellite that could lead to private space station
What's the story
SpaceX has successfully launched a satellite that could be instrumental in the development of a private space station. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on a multi-satellite rideshare mission dubbed Bandwagon-4. Among the 18 payloads aboard this launch is Haven Demo, an experimental precursor for Haven-1, a privately-owned space station by California-based Vast Space.
Mission objectives
Haven demo will test systems for Haven-1
Vast Space has described the Haven Demo as "the first step in our iterative approach toward building next-generation space stations." The satellite will test critical systems for Haven-1, including propulsion, flight computers, and navigation software. If all goes according to plan, Haven-1 will be launched into low Earth orbit (LEO) on a Falcon 9 rocket as early as Q2 2026. This would make it the first independent private space station in human history.
Additional missions
Other payloads on the Falcon 9 rocket
The other 17 payloads on the Falcon 9 rocket will be operated by South Korea's Agency for Defense Development (ADD), Berlin-based company Exolaunch, Turkey's Fergani Space, weather forecasting outfit Tomorrow Companies, and Starcloud, which plans to build data centers in space. After launch, the Falcon 9's first stage successfully returned to Earth about eight minutes later and landed at Cape Canaveral's Landing Zone-2. This was its third flight for this particular booster, SpaceX says.
Ongoing journey
SpaceX's 4th mission in its Bandwagon series
Meanwhile, the rocket's upper stage continued its journey into orbit with the 18 payloads. It will deploy them over an hour-long period starting about 12 minutes after liftoff with ADD's Korea 425 satellite separation. Bandwagon-4 was SpaceX's fourth mission in its Bandwagon series and already marks the company's 140th Falcon 9 launch of 2025.