Elon Musk's SpaceX plans to carry out private crewed flights to the International Space Station in partnership with a California startup.
The missions are subject to NASA approval and involve the firm Vast, which also aims to launch the world's first space station for private missions as early as next year.
"Providing payloads and crewed missions to the ISS is a key part of Vast's strategy that allows us to deepen our collaboration with NASA and the world's space agencies," stated Vast CEO Max Haot.
SpaceX has already carried out three private missions to the orbiting laboratory with Axiom Space and is preparing for a fourth. It has also partnered with Polaris, a venture led by billionaire Jared Isaacsman, for two orbital flights, one of which saw the first spacewalk by non-professional astronauts.
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Isaacman to be the next head of NASA, reflecting an era of expanding public-private partnerships in space.
"I'm excited to work with Vast as they build more opportunities and destinations for more people to travel among the stars," said Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX.
The last Axiom mission included astronauts from Italy, Sweden and Turkey, whose seats on board were sponsored by their respective countries.
Vast, founded in 2021, is in active talks with several governments, including the Czech Republic, about future missions.
With the ISS due to be decommissioned in 2030, Vast is among several companies vying to build and launch the world's first commercial space station.
The company plans to launch a mini-station, Haven-1, in 2025, followed by Haven-2, a larger station designed to completely replace the ISS.
"Vast's long-term ambition is to create artificial gravity habitats that allow humans to live in space," the company announced.
Other contenders for the first commercial space station include Axiom Space, Voyager Space in partnership with Airbus and Blue Origin in collaboration with Sierra Space. | BGNES, AFP
