ORLANDO, Fla. — An investment by a venture fund related to the U.S. national security community in the commercial space station developer Vast doesn't automatically signal military interest in human space exploration. Vast announced on October 30th that IQT, also known as In-Q-Tel, invested in the company and will be an observer on Vast's board. The investment size was not disclosed. The company said in a statement: “IQT is the strategic investor for the U.S. national security community and America’s allies, and they've relied upon [it] for 25 years to anticipate their technology questions and needs and achieve solutions.”
Gareth Keane, a partner at IQT, spoke about the investment during a panel at the Economist Space Summit on November 6th. He said, “I don’t think humans in space will ever not be a thing. Humans in space is an important thing, so we’re pleased and excited to support the Vast team as they go out and start making us truly a multiplanetary species.” Keane was on a panel discussing dual-use technologies when asked if IQT saw national security value in the commercial space stations Vast is developing. He said, not necessarily.
“A lot of investments that we make are purely for insight, to understand how markets are evolving,” Keane said. “I think the commercial space station sector is no different.” He added, “There are multiple players there. We’d just like to know if there are ways to build a commercial business that will be effective,” including gauging how much U.S. government support these stations may require. IQT has invested in many space companies over the years, from launch vehicle developers to in-space services providers. Most offer products or services with apparent national security applications. Vast has indicated it is receptive to interest from national security space agencies, including the U.S. Space Force, in its facilities.
In September, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, head of procurement for the Space Force, visited Vast’s headquarters in Long Beach, California, as part of a tour of commercial space companies. When asked about Purdy’s visit at the Global Aerospace Summit in September, Max Haot, chief executive of Vast, declined to discuss any specific Space Force interest in Vast’s stations. However, he mentioned there could be opportunities for Space Force personnel to use commercial stations. “Space Force Guardians have never gone to their domains,” he said, referring to the service’s name for its members. Although some Guardians who are also active-duty NASA astronauts have been in space since the Space Force was established in 2019, none have done so primarily representing the service, unlike other military branches.
Haot stated, “It’s only a matter of time” before the Space Force sends its servicemembers to space. “Of course, in 10 years, 50 years, 100 years, they will be in space, so let’s do it quicker.” He added that having humans in space could act as a “key deterrence” if warfighting occurs in orbit in the future. Guardians could also conduct military-specific research and training. Keane suggested another reason the Space Force might want humans in space: “You could use that as sort of a recruiting tool — if you want to be a Guardian, I can send you to space — that appeals, I think, to a lot of people. Stuff like that could be a direct applicability to In-Q-Tel’s partner base.”