France to send two astronauts on Vast's private missions to ISS and Haven-1

Vast, a private space station developer, announced a France-government deal to fly two French astronauts in 2027 on its missions: Thomas Pesquet will command the first private ISS flight, and ESA reserve Arnaud Prost will fly Haven-1. The missions, using SpaceX Crew Dragon and lasting about two weeks, will include science experiments and outreach, with crew selections subject to a multilateral ISS partner board. France will share more details at a September summit, and Vast plans to open a European HQ in Paris, underscoring sovereign astronauts' role in the commercial space station model.