France shoots for the stars with back-to-back space firsts

Lead

France is set to send two astronauts into space next year under a new agreement with US company Vast, including a mission to what could become the world's first commercial space station. President Emmanuel Macron announced the deal on the sidelines of a Paris investment conference, writing on social media platform X late Monday that it "confirms France's space ambitions."

Under the deal, astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost will embark on separate missions lasting around two weeks each, according to a statement from California-based Vast. Prost's first trip to space is planned to take him to the Haven-1 commercial space station, which Vast has been developing. After years of delays, the company insists the station is on course to be deployed next year. Prost would serve as test engineer on the first crewed mission to the station. "This astronaut mission to a private space station is a world first," France's space agency CNES said.

Pesquet will launch on a separate Vast mission to the International Space Station (ISS), marking his third stay on the orbital laboratory. He will serve as commander of the mission, which is not scheduled to launch before mid-2027. Pesquet told AFP on Tuesday that he welcomed the opportunity to return to space, though he said his long-term goal remained the Artemis mission to the Moon.

Both missions will launch on the Falcon 9 rockets of Elon Musk's SpaceX, reported RFI — English. However, the ISS mission will need to be approved by a panel of the space station's partners, which include NASA, the European Space Agency, Russia's Roscosmos, Japan's JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency. If approved, it would be "a major first: no non-American has ever commanded a US capsule," CNES said.

Coverage comparison

Reporting from Dawn and France 24 — English and RFI — English broadly aligns on the core facts: two French astronauts are booked on separate Vast missions, with Prost assigned to Haven-1 and Pesquet to the ISS. All three outlets noted the missions are scheduled for next year, though Pesquet's ISS flight is slated for no earlier than mid-2027.

The outlets differ somewhat in emphasis. Dawn's coverage frames the announcement as part of a broader race to replace the ageing ISS, highlighting that Vast "became the first aerospace company to announce a crewed mission to its future station." It also quotes Vast CEO Max Haot describing the milestone as "a new era in crewed spaceflight that is less expensive — and less reliant on Russia." France 24 — English and RFI — English focus more on the French angle, emphasising President Macron's endorsement of the deal as a boost to France's space ambitions.

A detail carried by one outlet alone is the European Space Agency's announcement that three European astronauts — German, Italian and French — will participate in NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the Moon. RFI — English reported this, but it was not included in the other two outlets' extracts.

Key claims

• Two French astronauts, Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost, will fly on separate Vast missions next year, each lasting about two weeks.
• Prost's first spaceflight will be to the Haven-1 commercial space station, where he will serve as test engineer on the inaugural crewed mission.
• Haven-1, if launched as scheduled in early 2027, would become the world's first commercial space station, according to multiple reports.
• Pesquet will command a Vast mission to the ISS, his third stay on the orbital laboratory, pending approval from ISS partner agencies.
• The ISS is scheduled to be deorbited in 2030.
• Vast was founded in 2021 by cryptocurrency billionaire Jed McCaleb and aims to eventually replace the ISS with Haven-2, a larger, nine-module station.
• Vast aims to have four modules in space by 2030, supporting six-month missions, a claim reported by Dawn.

Perspectives

French government: President Macron framed the deal as confirmation of France's space ambitions, while CNES called the private station mission a world first and highlighted the significance of a non-American commanding a US capsule.

Vast: CEO Max Haot emphasised the mission as an important milestone in crewed spaceflight, stressing lower costs and reduced reliance on Russia, and outlined plans for the larger Haven-2 station.