ESA reserve astronaut John McFall, floating on a parabolic aircraft flight, has been medically certified for long-duration space station missions. Credit: ESA/Novespace
TAMPA, Fla. — The U.K. government is exploring sending British astronaut John McFall to Vast’s planned Haven-1 space station in a mission it says could make him the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit.
The UK Space Agency announced an agreement June 2 to support the U.S.-based company in securing sponsorships to fund the 14-day mission, slated for some time after Haven-1 launches on a Falcon 9 rocket next year.
The single-module station is designed to start accommodating four crew members between a few weeks and a few months after launch, using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft.
Currently scheduled to stay in low Earth orbit for three years, Haven-1 would serve as a stepping stone to a continuously crewed, multi-module station dubbed Haven-2.
