Two French astronauts will travel to space next year—one to the ISS, one to Vast's Haven-1 space station

The government of France and Vast have reached an agreement to have French astronaut Arnaud Prost serve as a flight test engineer on the first crewed mission and flight acceptance test for Haven-1, which is slated to be the world's first commercial space station. The mission, scheduled to launch next year, will see the ESA Reserve astronaut spend around two weeks aboard the space station to which he will travel aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft.

The announcement, which was made on June 1, 2026, at the Choose France Summit created by French President Emmanuel Macron, also revealed that another Frenchman, ESA’s Thomas Pesquet, will be in command of the four-person crew scheduled to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) for the sixth private astronaut mission (PAM). This PAM is also set to last two weeks and will see the astronauts travel to the orbital laboratory aboard a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. "Both missions will focus on scientific research, technology demonstrations, and educational outreach activities, including experiments from French industry and academic institutions, all activities during which CNES, the French space agency, will put its expertise of more than 40 years of manned spaceflight to use," Vast noted in a statement.

Pesquet's final confirmation for his trip to the ISS will only come after clearance from the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP), which will review his suitability for the mission. This will be done through a consensus among representatives from the five space station partners, which are NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Canadian Space Agency. Once approved, he will train with NASA's industry partners for the PAM, such as SpaceX. Vast is yet to reveal the names of the remaining three private astronauts for the mission. Additional details of the missions involving the French space administration, CNES, will be announced at the International Space Summit to be held on September 9 and 10 in Paris.

Pesquet and Prost have had two very different professional journeys so far. While the latter, designated to be the flight test engineer of the Haven-1 mission with his military pilot background, completed his basic astronaut reserve training only last month, Pesquet is a veteran of two space missions. Pesquet previously traveled to the ISS in 2016, becoming the 10th French astronaut in space back then. Thereafter, he was also part of the SpaceX Crew-2 mission and became the first French astronaut to command the ISS. He also holds the European record for days spent in space and spacewalk duration. CNES currently has a representative on the ISS, with ESA's Sophie Adenot having been in space for over 100 days as a part of Expedition 74 and SpaceX Crew-12. She is also only the second French woman to take part in a long-term mission in space.

Vast has been making significant strides in the aerospace industry. Besides being one of the three private entities to have been awarded a PAM to the ISS, the company recently secured funding of $500 million to aid in the development of its space stations Haven-1 and Haven-2. Soon after it launches, it will be occupied by Prost and other crew members from nations with diplomatic ties to France. Vast's CEO, Max Hoat, stated, "We thank France, but also CNES and ESA and NASA for their partnership and leadership in advancing human spaceflight. This agreement reinforces Vast’s commitment to launch and operate the world’s first commercial space station. We are honored that France selected Vast for these historic missions." As for Haven-2, the orbital laboratory could serve as humanity's replacement for the ISS post its retirement in 2030.

More on Starlust

ISS scheduled for dramatic end as NASA targets controlled Pacific ocean impact in 2030

How to spot the International Space Station with the naked eye before it deorbits in 2030