在助力山西产品走向国际市场的进程中，“侨助千企万品出海”行动成效显著。2025年，山西省借助这一行动，与25个国家和地区的176家海外侨商侨企达成供货合作，山西产品海外销售额接近7亿元人民币。山西小米、陈醋以及文创产品等特色商品，通过侨商搭建的渠道成功进入海外市场。在2025年日本大阪世博会山西周活动期间，20余家山西企业带着各自的产品积极参与推介活动。与此同时，澳大利亚侨社团与山西文创企业达成合作意向，计划在悉尼设立销售点，进一步拓展山西文创产品的海外销售版图。文化交流领域同样成果丰硕。2025年，“跟着悟空品山西”寻根夏令营吸引了来自10个国家的70名华裔青少年参与，让他们亲身感受山西的独特魅力。还有3000余名海外华裔青少年通过线上方式参加“云游三晋”网上营，足不出户领略山西的风土人情。山西省侨联积极行动，向海外推送剪纸、面塑等非遗教学视频，为海外侨团自主开展文化活动提供丰富素材，促进中华文化在海外的传播与传承。为给海外侨胞回乡投资兴业创造便利条件，山西省侨联与省高院、省检察院、省司法厅携手建立涉侨纠纷联合调解机制。在太原、大同等地设立涉侨纠纷调解室，及时、有效地化解涉侨矛盾纠纷，为海外侨胞营造良好的投资环境。山西省侨联主席王进仁透露，2026年将成立“侨助千企万品出海”联盟。该联盟将为海外侨商量身定制山西产品采购目录，方便他们精准采购山西优质产品。同时，还计划在加拿大、日本新增海外联络点，进一步扩大山西与海外交流合作的网络，推动山西与世界在经济、文化等多领域的深度融合。

近日，数码领域知名爆料博主在社交平台透露，华为即将推出一款名为MateBook Neo的新笔记本产品。该机型在存储配置上颇为亮眼，将提供24GB运行内存与1TB存储空间的组合方案，同时推出深空灰和皓月银两种配色版本以满足不同用户的审美需求。关于核心处理器信息，爆料者并未直接公布具体型号，而是抛出两个可能性选项引发网友讨论——麒麟9030系或麒麟X90系。这种悬念式爆料方式迅速点燃了科技爱好者的讨论热情，相关话题在社交平台持续发酵。值得注意的是，该博主此前曾于1月就提及过华为存在MateBook Neo的研发计划，此次爆料可视为对前期信息的补充确认。在互动环节中，针对网友提出的"为何采用Neo命名"的疑问，爆料者回应称该命名方案早在年初就已确定。当被问及小米是否在研发PC芯片时，爆料者以"保密"二字简短回应，既未证实也未否认相关传闻，为行业动态增添了新的猜测空间。通过梳理华为现有产品线可发现，麒麟X90芯片已应用于多款设备。华为官网最新信息显示，MateBook Pro与MateBook Fold非凡大师均搭载该芯片。去年11月发布的MatePad Edge二合一平板则根据版本不同配置差异化的麒麟X90系列处理器——液冷版采用标准版麒麟X90，柔光版与标准版则使用麒麟X90A。这些产品布局或为MateBook Neo的处理器选择提供参考线索。目前华为官方尚未对MateBook Neo的发布时间作出回应，但根据行业惯例，此类爆料通常意味着产品已进入最终测试阶段。随着存储配置与命名方案的提前曝光，这款新笔记本的市场定位已逐渐清晰——主打大内存组合与差异化配色，目标用户群体可能涵盖商务人士与创意工作者。关于处理器型号的最终答案，或许要等到正式发布时才能揭晓。

近日，小米汽车车主在春节期间10天行驶1万公里的消息引发广泛关注，同时也招致不少网友对数据真实性的质疑。由于纯电动车续航和补能特性，部分网友认为这样的高强度行驶难以实现。面对质疑，一位阿维塔车主以亲身经历为高里程行驶的可能性提供佐证。这位车主在阿维塔城区NCA智驾大赛中斩获冠军，其公布的智驾数据令人惊叹：13天内完成17000公里智驾行驶，扣除前两日几乎未行驶的时间，相当于11天完成16000公里，日均行驶里程远超1000公里。更值得注意的是，阿维塔前五名车主的智驾成绩均达到每日超1000公里的水平，用实际数据打破了"纯电动车无法长途行驶"的刻板印象。针对网友提出的"春节高速拥堵影响长途行驶"的质疑，该车主分析认为，小米车主的行驶路线可能避开了华东、华北等拥堵区域，选择西藏、内蒙、新疆等车流量较小的地区。这类路线不仅路况良好，且沿途充电设施逐步完善，完全能够支撑长距离行驶需求。他特别强调，自己的成绩是在城区复杂路况下取得的，城区NCA智驾需要频繁应对红绿灯、行人、车辆变道等场景，技术难度远高于高速驾驶。既然城区都能实现高里程行驶，高速环境下完成10天1万公里的目标自然更具可行性。这场讨论折射出公众对新能源汽车性能的认知升级。随着电池技术进步和智能驾驶系统成熟，纯电动车的续航能力和使用场景正在突破传统认知边界。阿维塔车主的实例表明，通过合理的路线规划、高效的补能策略以及先进的智驾辅助，高强度长途行驶已不再是燃油车的专属优势。

在摩根士丹利近期举办的行业会议上，英伟达首席执行官黄仁勋发表了对人工智能领域的前瞻性观点。他指出，以智能体为核心的人工智能技术正经历关键转折点，这类技术正在重塑人类与数字系统的交互方式。其中开源项目OpenClaw的爆发式增长成为行业焦点，该软件上线仅三周便创下开源软件下载量历史新高，其发展速度远超传统技术迭代周期——作为对比，Linux操作系统达到同等普及程度用了近三十年时间。黄仁勋将人工智能产业生态比作五层架构体系：最底层是能源供应系统，往上依次是芯片与计算基础设施、云数据中心、AI模型开发平台，最上层则是直接面向用户的应用层。他特别强调，应用层正在成为价值创造的核心领域，以OpenClaw为代表的智能体技术能够在高度定制化的场景中，精准模拟并替代人类执行各类任务。这种能力不仅体现在批量网络搜索、图像生成等标准化操作，更延伸至复杂数据分析等需要专业知识的领域。该技术引发算力需求爆炸式增长的现象尤为值得关注。据黄仁勋介绍，智能体通过自然语言提示词即可完成原本需要数小时专业操作的任务，这种便利性导致系统Token消耗量激增千倍。由此产生的"算力真空"效应，使得现有硬件设施即便持续扩容，仍难以满足指数级增长的计算需求。这种供需失衡正在推动整个行业进行技术架构革新。针对这一挑战，英伟达宣布将调整下一代芯片研发方向。此前专注AI训练的Hopper和Blackwell架构，将让位于专为智能体设计的Vera Rubin架构。新架构通过集成更大容量的板载内存模块，并采用创新的ICMS计算平台，重点突破长文本处理瓶颈。这种技术演进路径反映出，人工智能发展正从模型训练阶段，转向更注重实时交互与场景适应的新阶段。OpenClaw的成功案例揭示出技术普及的新规律：相较于底层架构的复杂性，用户更关注技术能否真正解决现实问题。该软件通过简化重复性工作流程，让普通消费者直观感受到人工智能带来的效率提升。这种应用导向的发展模式，正在重新定义开源软件的价值评估标准，也为整个行业指明了技术落地的关键路径。

小米技术团队近日宣布，其基于自主研发的MiMo大模型打造的全新AI交互产品Xiaomi miclaw（内部代号“龙虾”）已启动小范围封闭测试。这款面向移动端的智能体产品通过整合系统底层能力、个性化上下文理解、跨设备生态互联及自学习进化机制，试图重新定义智能手机与用户的交互方式。首批测试资格采用邀请制发放，仅面向科技爱好者及极客群体开放，目前仅支持小米17系列机型参与体验。针对用户普遍关注的隐私保护问题，小米技术团队强调该产品从研发阶段便严格遵循数据最小化原则，明确表示不会将用户交互数据用于AI模型训练。所有模型训练均基于公开数据集或通过合规审查的授权数据完成，用户实时指令仅用于任务执行分发，系统会自动屏蔽数据流入训练资源池。为进一步保障数据安全，核心隐私信息将通过“端云隐私计算”技术处理，优先在终端设备本地完成运算，从物理隔离和算法加密双重维度防止敏感信息上传云端。据内部人士透露，Xiaomi miclaw当前仍处于技术验证阶段，在功耗控制、复杂场景任务执行成功率以及系统长期稳定性方面存在优化空间。测试团队正通过封闭环境收集真实用户反馈，重点优化多设备协同、上下文连续理解等核心功能模块。参与测试的用户需签署保密协议，其设备使用数据将仅用于技术改进分析。行业观察人士指出，此次封闭测试标志着智能手机厂商正从“集成AI功能”向“构建原生AI生态”转型。小米通过端侧模型部署与隐私计算技术的结合，既提升了智能体的自主决策能力，又为行业树立了数据安全新标准。这种技术路径不仅验证了端侧大模型在移动端的可行性，更推动了AI从实验室理论向真实场景应用的实质性突破。随着测试范围逐步扩大，该产品的实际表现或将影响未来智能手机AI助手的发展方向。

无需编程基础，动动嘴就能开发数字工具？这个假期，“手搓经济”在社交平台悄然走红。多位用户通过AI应用灵光App，用自然语言对话生成可交互的“闪应用”，并在个人店铺上架销售，部分小工具成交量突破千单。这种零代码、低门槛的创作模式，正在重构数字工具的生产逻辑。以“36个10天成长计划”打卡工具为例，创作者最初为自我监督设计，上线后意外获得近千笔订单。购买者反馈显示，其简洁的操作界面和零广告体验成为主要卖点。据不完全统计，仅某社交平台，同类个人成长主题应用已售出数千份，覆盖目标管理、习惯养成等细分场景。技术门槛的消失源于AI能力的进化。灵光App的“闪应用”功能允许用户通过对话描述需求，系统自动生成包含交互逻辑的数字工具。这种模式突破了传统编程的语言壁垒，使非技术用户也能参与数字工具开发。数据显示，该应用上线首月即诞生超1200万个用户创作的小程序，覆盖出游规划、亲子教育、银发关怀等30余个生活场景。市场需求的爆发催生出完整生态链。除直接销售应用外，社交平台涌现大量“手搓应用教学”服务，提供从需求分析到调试优化的全流程指导。部分创作者通过定制化开发服务，将单个应用定价提升至数十元，形成新的数字服务赛道。蚂蚁集团公布的数据显示，春节期间用户创作的个性化工具中，作业管理、家务激励等家庭场景应用占比超过40%。这种变革折射出AI技术发展的路径转向。从追求通用大模型能力，到聚焦具体场景的价值挖掘，技术普惠正在重塑数字生产关系。不过当前“手搓”工具仍局限于轻量级场景，涉及支付、多端协同等复杂业务时，仍需专业开发团队介入。这种“全民开发”与专业体系的互补关系，或将成为未来数字工具生态的重要特征。

OpenAI宣布对旗下专为科研人员设计的AI工作空间Prism进行全面升级，此次更新不仅将底层模型升级至GPT-5.3，还深度整合了Codex CLI功能，旨在解决科研工作者在文本编辑、文献管理和数据分析等环节频繁切换工具的痛点，推动科研流程向全链路一体化转型。自推出以来，Prism便以科学写作与团队协作的定位切入市场。用户可在同一界面完成LaTeX公式编辑、参考文献管理、学术图表生成等核心任务，并支持团队成员实时协作。此次升级后，平台功能边界进一步拓展，从单纯的写作辅助工具演变为具备完整计算能力的科研平台。Codex CLI的引入成为本次升级的核心亮点。研究人员现在可直接在Prism内部运行Python或R脚本进行数据处理，生成的矢量图形自动符合学术规范。系统内置的自动化迭代机制能够主动检测LaTeX编译错误或数据异常，并尝试自主修复，显著缩短了从实验数据到论文定稿的周期。针对大型科研项目，平台新增的持久化会话管理功能可确保数百个文件在逻辑连贯性和格式统一性上保持高度一致。底层架构升级至GPT-5.3后，Prism在处理复杂科研工作流时展现出显著优势。通过优化的记忆压缩技术，系统在处理包含海量原始数据的多文件工程时，既能保持指令执行的精准度，又能有效避免长文本写作中的逻辑断裂问题。OpenAI方面强调，平台设计始终遵循"科学家掌控核心逻辑"的原则，将格式排版、代码调试等重复性工作交由AI自动化处理。升级后的Prism已面向全球ChatGPT全层级用户开放，包括Free、Go、Plus及Pro版本。从初入科研领域的研究生到资深学者，均可通过该平台体验AI原生科研环境带来的效率提升。开发团队透露，后续迭代将重点推进与Zotero、Overleaf等主流学术工具的插件化整合，目标构建覆盖多学科的全球化科研自动化生态网络，推动学术论文生产向标准化、自动化方向演进。

WASHINGTON — The third launch of a small launch vehicle developed by a Japanese company failed shortly after liftoff March 4, raising questions about the rocket’s future. A Kairos rocket lifted off from Spaceport Kii in southern Honshu at 9:10 p.m. Eastern. This was the third launch attempt after weather postponed a Feb. 28 effort and an issue with a safety system scrubbed a second attempt March 3. The solid-fuel rocket ascended from the pad and initially appeared to be flying normally. However, about 70 seconds after liftoff, an energetic event became visible in the rocket’s plume. Several fragments appeared, including one large piece that was clearly tumbling. In a social media post, Space One, the company that operates Kairos, said it activated the rocket’s flight termination system after it “determined that mission success was difficult,” according to a machine translation. The company did not immediately disclose additional details about the problem that triggered the termination of the launch. Subscribe TodayGet unlimited access to SpaceNews.com and our digital magazine with a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription. Checkout Now Discounted Access Learn more about savings available for academic, government and military readers on SpaceNews subscriptions. Save on SpaceNews This is the third failure in as many attempts for Kairos, a rocket designed to place up to 150 kilograms into sun-synchronous orbit. The first Kairos launch, in March 2024, failed seconds after liftoff in a spectacular explosion. Space One later said underperformance of the rocket’s first-stage motor triggered the flight termination system. The second Kairos launch took place in December 2024. On that flight, the rocket appeared to lose attitude control about a minute and a half after liftoff. Space One determined that a failure in the thrust vector control system, which adjusts the position of the nozzle, caused the rocket to tumble. This launch was carrying five small satellites from Japanese companies and organizations as well as the Taiwanese space agency. The failure raises questions about the future of Kairos and Space One, whose investors include Canon and IHI Aerospace. Despite failures on the first two Kairos launches, Space One, working with Space BD, won a contract from the Japan Ministry of Defense in May 2025 for the dedicated launch of a small optical imaging satellite. The failure is the latest in a series of setbacks for Japan’s launch industry. The country’s flagship launch vehicle, the H3, suffered a launch failure in December that an initial investigation linked to an issue during separation of the rocket’s payload fairing. The shock of the fairing separation may have damaged both the upper stage and the satellite payload, causing the satellite to prematurely separate from the upper stage. The smaller Epsilon rocket has been grounded since an October 2022 launch failure. The Epsilon program has also suffered failures of upgraded solid rocket motors in two static-fire tests in July 2023 and November 2024. Those setbacks led the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in October 2025 to purchase two launches of Rocket Lab’s Electron for satellites originally slated to fly on Epsilon. Related

在线游戏平台Roblox近日推出一项基于人工智能的聊天内容优化系统，通过实时改写违规表述实现更温和的社区管理方式。该功能突破传统“#”符号屏蔽模式，运用自然语言处理技术将不文明用语转化为符合平台规范的表达，同时最大限度保留用户原意。例如，玩家输入的“Hurry TF up!”会被系统自动调整为“Hurry up!”，确保对话流畅性不受影响。技术团队介绍称，新系统搭载的深度学习模型经过海量语料训练，能够识别超过200种变体规避写法，包括字母数字混合的“黑客语”（leetspeak）和特殊符号替代等复杂情况。经实测验证，该系统的误判率较旧版下降约20倍，在保持安全管控的同时显著减少正常对话被误拦截的情况。目前该功能已实现多语言覆盖，支持Roblox自动翻译工具涵盖的所有语种。聊天界面交互设计同步升级，当系统对用户消息进行改写时，对话窗口会向所有参与者显示可视化提示，确保交流过程的透明度。这种处理方式既避免了传统屏蔽导致的语义断裂，又防止用户对内容修改产生误解，有效维护了社区互动的友好氛围。

SAN FRANCISCO – Southern California startup General Galactic plans to launch a 500-kilogram satellite later this year to demonstrate a novel multimode propulsion system. When the Trinity mission travels to low-Earth orbit on the SpaceX Transporter-18 rideshare, no earlier than October, General Galactic will test its Genesis platform, which pairs chemical and electric engines. “We’re not a propulsion company in the sense of trying to sell propulsion systems, but our propulsion technology is going to be an enabler for a wide range of missions over the next few years,” General Galactic CEO Halen Mattison told SpaceNews. “It’s entirely based around water and water electrolysis and it’s significantly more efficient than a lot of the other options on the market.” Mattison, a former SpaceX engineer, and Luke Neise, a former Varda Space Industries engineer, founded General Galactic in El Segundo, California, in 2023 with a grand vision. “We want to be a large operator in the space domain that also effectively acts like the galaxy’s energy and logistics company,” Mattison said. “The same electrolyzer technology that we’re proving out for the first time with Trinity will form the building blocks of a propellant factory that we want to deploy on the moon and eventually on Mars to enable refueling operations, not just for us but for launch companies and others that want to operate in that domain.” Subscribe TodayGet unlimited access to SpaceNews.com and our digital magazine with a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription. Checkout Now Discounted Access Learn more about savings available for academic, government and military readers on SpaceNews subscriptions. Save on SpaceNews General Galactic has developed space-rated electrolysis cells designed to form the building blocks of propellant factories on the moon and Mars. Credit: General Galactic Rapid Maneuverability To date, General Galactic has raised about $10 million dollars to develop the water-based propulsion system that is scheduled to launch in October on a satellite provided by an unnamed partner. The Genesis platform is designed to improve satellite maneuverability with a chemical engine for quick maneuvers and a Hall thruster for longer-duration burns. “It will be the most agile and most capable spacecraft architecture that has been fielded,” Mattison said. “That means that we can support what Space Force calls sustained maneuver and rapid maneuverability.” Through Trinity and follow-on missions, General Galactic intends to demonstrate maneuverability in ways that will attract the attention of professional and amateur satellite trackers. “We will perform maneuvers and do operations in a way that makes a difference from a business-development standpoint but also is something that observers and adversaries could take notice of,” Mattison said. “Virtually every space object and launch is tracked. There’s a huge race going on to make more maneuverable and more capable spacecraft.” Cis-Lunar Space and Beyond General Galactic is meeting with commercial, civil and military customers ahead of the Trinity launch. Beyond Trinity, General Galactic plans to send satellites to medium-Earth and geosynchronous orbit, “cis-lunar space and ideally beyond,” Mattison said. “We want to make sure that we’re building a platform that can support all of it.” Water electrolysis propulsion systems have been spaceflight tested. NASA’s four satellite Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission, launched in 2025, is equipped with thrusters that split water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis. And Tethers Unlimited demonstrated a water electrolysis thruster called Hydros-C on a NASA Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator cubesat in 2021. Genesis will provide “higher specific impulse” than its predecessors, Mattison said, and it’s designed for ease of manufacturing. “We’re designing our electrolyzer entirely in-house to be able to support a higher production capacity,” Mattison said. “We are doing things that are necessary to scale this to something that’s a lot more enabling for the huge demand in missions that we’re seeing.” Long-Term Potential General Galactic engineers opted for water-fueled thrusters because of their current and long-term potential. “In the near term, we’re offering a game-changing ability to move things in space,” Mattison said. “As soon as you have some ability to procure that water outside of Earth’s gravity, you have a new baseline for how human activities take place off the Earth. Eventually, the water for Genesis engines could come from in situ resources like lunar ice. Related

TAMPA, Fla. — Canadian telco Telus has agreed to take a stake in AST SpaceMobile and invest in ground infrastructure needed to connect subscribers to the operator’s planned direct-to-smartphone constellation. The companies said March 3 they had signed the commercial agreement as part of plans to extend coverage for texts, calls and data for unmodified phones to Canada’s most remote locations from late 2026. “Canada’s vast geography, remote industries and dispersed communities make universal connectivity both a challenge and a necessity,” said Chris Ivory, chef commercial officer at Texas-based AST SpaceMobile. Financial details were not disclosed. The partnership follows a similar agreement with Bell, another of Canada’s three dominant wireless carriers, which first partnered with AST SpaceMobile in 2021 and backs the company through its corporate venture arm. Bell also owns the ground stations that would connect satellites directly to user devices. Subscribe TodayGet unlimited access to SpaceNews.com and our digital magazine with a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription. Checkout Now Discounted Access Learn more about savings available for academic, government and military readers on SpaceNews subscriptions. Save on SpaceNews Rogers, which holds the remaining roughly one-third share of Canada’s mobile subscribers, began connecting phones late last year using SpaceX’s rival Starlink Mobile network. To date, AST SpaceMobile has announced definitive customer agreements with AT&T and Verizon in the United States, United Kingdom-based Vodafone and Saudi Arabia’s stc Group. Finding partners AST SpaceMobile has announced a raft of other terrestrial partnerships this week during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Spain’s Telefónica, France’s Orange, Switzerland’s Sunrise and CK Hutchison of Hong Kong said they are exploring connecting European operations with Satellite Connect Europe, the Luxembourg-based joint venture AST SpaceMobile forged with Vodafone to distribute services in the region. Taiwan Mobile also announced an agreement to explore using AST SpaceMobile’s low Earth orbit (LEO) network in the Asian country. Meanwhile, Germany-based Deutsche Telekom unveiled plans to deliver next-generation Starlink Mobile services across 10 countries in Europe in 2028, shortly after Telefónica’s British operations marked the first commercial deployment of its service in the region. Awaiting deployment AST SpaceMobile deployed BlueBird-6 late last year, the first of its next-generation Block 2 satellites, and recently unfolded its 223 square meter antenna, the largest commercial communications array placed in LEO and designed to deliver more than 120 megabits per second peak data speeds. The spacecraft follows five smaller BlueBird satellites launched in 2024 that are currently being used for testing direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity with partners. While the company has demonstrated voice calls, broadband data and video streaming from space to standard smartphones, the services are not yet commercially available. AST SpaceMobile plans to deploy at least 45 BlueBird Block 2 satellites by the end of 2026, with intermittent services expected in some markets following the deployment of its first 25 spacecraft. BlueBird 7, the next spacecraft in the series, is scheduled to launch later this month on Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. Revenue ramp and spectrum challenges AST SpaceMobile has been generating revenue in the interim from telco partners ordering ground stations to enable the service, as well as work with the U.S. government. The operator reported about $54 million in revenue for the three months to Dec. 31, and expects at least $140 million in sales in 2026, roughly double the year before, excluding contributions from the activation of commercial service. Boosted by service revenue, AST SpaceMobile chief strategy officer Scott Wisniewski pointed to a revenue opportunity nearing $1 billion for 2027 on the earnings call. The company is also seeking regulatory approval to access additional satellite spectrum in North America to improve services, via a proposed arrangement with bankrupt satellite operator Ligado Networks. However, the proposal has drawn opposition from satellite operators and industry groups, including Iridium and the Satellite Safety Alliance, which argue the plan could create harmful interference with existing L-band services. Related

WASHINGTON — Commercial space station developer Vast has raised $500 million in its first significant outside investment round. Vast announced March 5 it has closed a $300 million Series A equity round along with $200 million in debt. The round was led by Balerion Space Ventures with participation from IQT, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Mitsui & Co., MUFG, Nikon, Stellar Ventures, Space Capital and Earthrise Ventures. The company had been funded until now by Jed McCaleb, the cryptocurrency billionaire who founded the company. McCaleb also participated in the new round. “Vast was founded with a long-term vision of billions of people living and thriving in space. Achieving a goal of this magnitude requires deliberate steppingstones, and our strategy of building, testing and iterating with real hardware is delivering results,” McCaleb said in a statement. “It is exciting to welcome additional investors who recognize Vast’s long-term potential and share our belief in making this vision a reality.” Before the new funding round, Vast had invested more than $1 billion into building up the company and developing a line of commercial space stations. The company, based in Long Beach, California, now has more than 1,000 employees. Subscribe TodayGet unlimited access to SpaceNews.com and our digital magazine with a monthly, quarterly or annual subscription. Checkout Now Discounted Access Learn more about savings available for academic, government and military readers on SpaceNews subscriptions. Save on SpaceNews The company is currently building Haven-1, a single-module space station scheduled to launch in early 2027. It is intended to be a precursor to the multi-module Haven-2 station the company intends to offer NASA through the agency’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destinations, or CLD, program. “Our key differentiator is that we don’t believe we can start with that,” Max Haot, chief executive of Vast, said of Haven-2 during a panel discussion at the ASCENDxTexas conference Feb. 25. “We believe we need steppingstones to make sure it’s safe and also to make sure that we prove to ourselves and our partners that we can do it.” Vast launched last year Haven Demo, a small satellite to test key subsystems planned for use on Haven-1. Haot said at the conference that the company safely deorbited the spacecraft in recent weeks after completing those on-orbit tests. The company also won Feb. 12 a private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, scheduled for no earlier than mid-2027. It will be similar to those flown by another commercial space station developer, Axiom Space, which has completed four such missions and has an award for a fifth in early 2027. Vast and other commercial space station developers are waiting for NASA to release the final request for proposals (RFP) for the second phase of the CLD program. Delays in the release of that procurement was one reason cited in a NASA authorization bill approved by the Senate Commerce Committee March 4 for extending the life of the ISS by two years, to the end of 2032. “The RFP should come out when [NASA Administrator] Jared Isaacman and potentially the White House and other stakeholders are ready,” Haot said at the conference. “I think there’s some urgency, but I think Jared and them team will get it out as soon as they can.” On that panel, which included representatives of several other space station developers, Haot said that Vast was counting on NASA and other space agencies for much of the initial business for its space stations, rather than emerging markets like microgravity manufacturing or pharmaceutical research. “In the long term, we all want the LEO economy to thrive. We want to be making drugs in space,” he said. “In our internal projections, in our fundraising and our business model, we have close to zero dollars for the LEO economy in the next five years.” “We need to be profitable on the current market,” he said, which he described as NASA and other Western ISS partners, along with a “growth market” of emerging space agencies and a small number of “self-funded” individuals. The Vast round comes less than a month after Axiom Space raised $350 million. That round was co-led by QIA, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, who also participated in the Vast round. As part of the Vast round, A.C. Charania, a Balerion adviser and former NASA chief technologist, will join the board of Vast. “With its impressive hardware and expertise, Vast is the only operational commercial space station company to have designed, built and flown its own spacecraft, Haven Demo,” Charania said in a statement. “Haven stations will play a critical role in sustaining a continuous human presence in orbit and the LEO economy while providing nations around the world the opportunity to strengthen leadership in space,” he added. Related