Ripple Co-founder Unveils Ambitious Space Station Plan

Jed McCaleb, co-founder of Mt.Gox and Ripple, intends to launch the commercial space station Haven-1 into orbit in May 2026, according to Bloomberg.

The project is being executed by his company, Vast, with the primary goal of developing technologies for long-term human habitation in space.

Competing for a NASA Contract

If McCaleb’s startup succeeds, it will have a better chance of securing a contract from NASA to replace the International Space Station (ISS). The tenders are expected to be concluded by mid-2026.

Vast is competing with companies such as Axiom Space, Voyager Space Holdings, Lockheed Martin, and Blue Origin.

Should Vast fail or lose the contract to a competitor, the entrepreneur could lose $1 billion, putting the commercial future of his company in doubt.

“Not many people can allocate as many resources, time, and willingness to take risks as I can,” McCaleb stated.

According to longtime friend and former business partner Sam Yagan, McCaleb is known as a “conscious risk-taker” with hyper-rational tendencies.

“He may be a bit eccentric in his willingness to take what we would consider a big risk,” he noted.

Following Musk’s Path

McCaleb’s ambition to settle humans on other planets aligns with the ideas of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

The Haven-1 space station will be built using Musk’s technologies, such as docking adapters and the Starlink internet communication system.

Vast has also booked SpaceX flights to send its equipment into orbit and transport crew to the station, with the firm agreeing to carry astronauts for McCaleb’s company pending NASA approval.

Vast’s close ties with SpaceX are partly due to hiring key personnel who previously worked there, including Max Haot, who serves as CEO and president of Vast.

McCaleb and Haot have expressed their willingness to embark on a flight themselves.

Creating “Artificial Gravity”

The company’s long-term plans also include creating “artificial gravity” to improve living conditions in space.

The ISS uses technology to recycle waste into drinking water and carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen. This system will not be used in Haven-1 due to the short-term stay of the crew.

However, Vast plans to incorporate ISS technology into the future Haven-2 model by 2028, which is designed for longer space habitation.

McCaleb gained fame for his developments in the crypto industry. He created the eDonkey file-sharing network, founded the Mt.Gox exchange, and later Ripple and Stellar.

He remains a key figure in the private space race alongside Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin and SpaceX.

Back in December 2024, the Spacecoin project team announced the launch of a satellite to ensure the security of blockchain protocols in space.