New MoU Paves Way for European Astronauts on Commercial Space Stations

There is a particular foresight in preparing for an ending that is still years away—a foresight that requires not just planning but imagination, the ability to see a future in which the structures we have relied upon are no longer there, and to ensure that what matters most is not lost in the transition. For the European Space Agency, that ending is the deorbiting of the International Space Station, expected after 2030. And the preparation has now taken a concrete step forward. On Monday, ESA signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with the American commercial space station developer Vast, broadening a collaboration that began in 2024 and paving the way for European astronauts to fly on commercial orbital platforms in the post-ISS era .

The agreement was signed during the 77th International Astronautical Congress and reflects a shared interest between ESA and Vast to collaborate on future commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit . It builds on existing work: the two organizations are already collaborating on four crewed missions to the ISS and to Vast's Haven-1 station, planned for 2027, including the first crewed mission to Haven-1 .

The core of the new MoU is continuity. The ISS has been one of the most successful examples of international cooperation in space, and its impending decommissioning threatens to interrupt Europe's access to microgravity research and astronaut flight opportunities. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher framed the agreement in those terms: "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" .

What the MoU provides is a framework, not a binding commitment. It opens the door to potential ESA astronaut missions aboard Haven station, possible European hardware contributions to the infrastructure, and jointly defined research campaigns with dedicated science accommodations, up-mass and down-mass capacity, and crew time . It also addresses the possibility of future European cargo and crew vehicles servicing Haven station—a long-term ambition that would restore independent European access to orbit .

The context is a shifting space landscape. The ISS is aging, and its operating costs are high. Commercial stations like Haven-1 are being developed to fill the gap, and France has already signed an agreement with Vast to fly astronaut Arnaud Prost on a mission to Haven-1 in 2027, making it the first crewed flight to a commercial space station . The ESA-Vast MoU extends that logic to the broader European community, ensuring that the scientific and technological capabilities built over decades on the ISS are not abandoned when the station is gone. The agreement runs for an initial three years, beginning with a joint feasibility study intended to produce a roadmap for binding agreements . The ISS is not gone yet. But the plans for what comes after it are already being written.

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Sources: European Space Agency, Vast Space, MeteoWeb, CNES