Ripple Co-Founder Jed McCaleb Aims for Space with Haven-1 Station and NASA Contract
Jed McCaleb, co-founder of Ripple and the Mt. Gox, has set his sights on space with plans to launch his company’s commercial space station, Haven-1, into orbit by May 2026. His ambitious startup, Vast, is working toward securing a lucrative contract with NASA to replace the International Space Station.
In a March 20 interview with Bloomberg, McCaleb confirmed that Vast is on track for the Haven-1 launch. If successful, the company could win a multi-billion-dollar NASA contract by mid-2026. However, failure to secure the contract could significantly impact McCaleb’s finances, with reports suggesting he could lose up to $1 billion from his net worth.
McCaleb, known as a calculated risk-taker, believes expanding human civilization beyond Earth is crucial. His vision aligns with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s mission of making humanity a multi-planetary species.
Vast is collaborating closely with SpaceX, utilizing its technology, including docking adapters for SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, an in-space internet system powered by Starlink, and launch services for its hardware and crew. Additionally, SpaceX has agreed to carry Vast’s astronauts, pending NASA’s approval.
Vast faces stiff competition for the NASA contract, going up against industry giants like Axiom Space, Voyager Space Holdings, Lockheed Martin, and Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos. However, McCaleb remains committed to pushing the boundaries of commercial space exploration, emphasizing the need for pioneers willing to take bold risks.
Vast’s Future Plans: Artificial Gravity and Advanced Space Technology
As part of its long-term vision, Vast is developing artificial gravity technology to replicate Earth-like conditions in space. This innovation aims to counteract the organ damage experienced by astronauts due to prolonged weightlessness on the International Space Station (ISS).
While the ISS employs systems that recycle wastewater into drinking water and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, Haven-1 will not feature these due to its short-term crew visits. However, Vast plans to integrate these technologies into its next-generation space station, Haven-2, by 2028, which will be designed for long-duration stays.
McCaleb’s Unconventional Journey to the Space Industry
Jed McCaleb’s entry into the space sector follows an unconventional path. His entrepreneurial success began in the early 2000s with the internet file-sharing service eDonkey. In 2010, he founded Mt. Gox, which later became the largest Bitcoin exchange before its infamous $400 million hack in 2014, leading to bankruptcy. However, McCaleb had already sold his majority stake in 2011.
Shortly after leaving Mt. Gox, McCaleb co-founded Ripple (XRP) in 2012, creating the XRP token. Though he initially held 9% of all XRP, he sold most of his holdings after leaving Ripple in 2013 due to disagreements with other co-founders. His XRP sales and Ripple equity earned him billions of dollars between 2014 and 2022.
In 2014, McCaleb launched another major crypto project, Stellar (XLM)—a fork of the Ripple protocol. Today, Stellar’s XLM token has a market capitalisation of $8.7 billion, according to CoinGecko data.
McCaleb’s transition from cryptocurrency to space exploration underscores his bold, risk-taking approach, positioning Vast as a potential leader in the next era of commercial space stations.
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