Jed McCaleb, Known for Co-founding Mt. Gox and Ripple, Plans to Launch Vast's Commercial Space Station, "Haven-1"

Jed McCaleb, known for co-founding Mt. Gox and Ripple, plans to launch Vast's commercial space station, "Haven-1", into orbit in 2026 while pursuing a NASA contract.

Jed McCaleb, the entrepreneur known for co-founding Mt. Gox and Ripple, is planning to launch Vast’s commercial space station, “Haven-1,” into orbit by May 2026.

McCaleb’s startup is also aiming to secure a contract from NASA for the ISS replacement, with the space agency set to allocate the contracts in mid-2026.

If Vast fails to obtain the NASA contract, it could leave the commercial future of McCaleb’s space station venture in jeopardy.

“There are not that many folks who are willing to dedicate the amount of resources and time and risk tolerance that I am,” McCaleb told Bloomberg.

Describing McCaleb’s mindset, longtime friend and ex-business partner Sam Yagan calls him a “deliberate risk-taker” with an exceptionally rational way of thinking, adding:

“He’s maybe slightly eccentric in his willingness to take what you and I would see as a lot of risks.”

McCaleb’s plans for interplanetary human expansion closely align with the long-term vision of SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

“It’s super important that people take this leap from where we are today to this potential world where there’s a lot of people living off of the Earth,” said McCaleb, who founded Vast in 2021.

Vast is equipping its station with SpaceX-built parts, including a docking adapter for the Dragon capsule and a Starlink-based WiFi system for internet access in space.

To deploy its station and personnel, McCaleb’s firm has contracted SpaceX for launches, while NASA must authorize astronaut transport.

Vast’s deep connections with SpaceX are evident in its hiring of key ex-SpaceX personnel, among them Max Haot, who currently serves as CEO and president.

To secure a key NASA contract, Vast must compete with major contenders such as Axiom Space, Voyager Space Holdings, Lockheed Martin, and Jeff Bezos’ company, Blue Origin.

Since prolonged space travel has caused organ damage in ISS crew members, Vast intends to develop artificial gravity by spinning or accelerating its spacecraft to simulate Earth’s environment.

The ISS uses a system that processes wastewater for drinking and reuses carbon dioxide to generate oxygen.

Due to its short-term nature, Haven-1 lacks this feature, but Vast plans to introduce it in Haven-2 by 2028 to accommodate longer crew stays.

Additionally, Haot and McCaleb are prepared to experience space travel personally.

McCaleb has entered the space sector through an unexpected route. McCaleb’s journey began with eDonkey in the 2000s, but in 2010, he achieved his next major accomplishment by founding Mt. Gox.

He didn’t remain at Mt. Gox for long, as he relinquished most of his ownership in 2011.

Mt. Gox became the top Bitcoin exchange worldwide, but in 2014, a massive $400 million theft forced it to shut down and declare bankruptcy.

Within months, McCaleb shifted his focus to a fresh project and introduced the XRP crypto token on the Ripple protocol in 2012.

McCaleb held 9% of XRP tokens at the beginning but sold most of them after exiting Ripple in 2013 due to disputes with other founders.

Between 2014 and 2022, McCaleb liquidated his XRP and Ripple equity, reportedly amassing a multi-billion-dollar fortune. According to CoinGecko, McCaleb’s 2014 creation, the Stellar network—a Ripple protocol fork—features the Stellar token, which now boasts an $8.7 billion market capitalization.