XRP and Space May Sound Quite Unrelated to You

input:output: {'title': 'XRP and Space May Sound Quite Unrelated to You', 'description': 'But for famous Jed McCaleb—the founder of popular companies like Mt. Gox, Ripple, and eDonkey— these two industries define the most significant work of his life.'}

Jed McCaleb, the billionaire known for his roles in Mt. Gox, Ripple, and eDonkey, is venturing into a new domain: space.

McCaleb, who sold his remaining XRP tokens and stepped back from the cryptocurrency scene, is now betting his billion-dollar fortune from XRP sales on his 2021-founded space venture, Vast Space LLC.

In an interview with Bloomberg, McCaleb revealed that Vast is aiming to launch its first commercial space station with artificial gravity, Haven-1, by May 2026.

This aligns with the International Space Station (ISS) retirement by 2030, with Vast hoping to secure a NASA contract by mid-2026.

Haven-1 will be launched in phases from 2028 to 2032, expanding from an initial 16m module in 2028 to three more in 2029-30 and a core module via Starship in 2030-32.

It will also feature multiple docking ports, a cupola window, research labs, and in-space manufacturing, aiming to support scientific, commercial, and private astronaut missions.

The station is funded solely by XRP Co-Founder Jed McCaleb.

Currently headquartered in Long Beach, California, Vast’s manufacturing facility spans 165,000 sq ft and has a working capacity of 600 people.

Vast is also collaborating with SpaceX to develop and launch Haven-2. The partnership includes launching the first Haven-2 module in 2028 aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket, followed by additional modules using Starship starting in 2030.

Haven-2 aligns with NASA’s CLD program and aims for ISS replacement, competing for Phase 2 of NASA’s contracts in 2026.