Long Beach-based space station developer hires another veteran astronaut
Andrew Feustel, who was recently NASA's chief astronaut, is the second veteran astronaut hired by Vast, which is developing private commercial space stations. Long Beach-based space station developer Vast has hired veteran NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel as its second human space flight advisor.Feustel, who has 23 years of experience, most recently served as NASA's chief astronaut and previously served as deputy chief of the astronaut office from 2020 to 2022. He is the second veteran astronaut to be hired by Vast, following Garrett Reisman who served as its first human spaceflight advisor in July. Vast's vision is to develop a private commercial space station in low-Earth orbit.
Published : 5 months ago by Brandon Richardson in Business Science
Long Beach-based space station developer Vast has brought on veteran NASA astronaut Andrew Feustel as its second human space flight advisor, the company announced this week.
Feustel has 23 years of experience, most recently as NASA’s chief astronaut, according to the announcement. Prior to that position, he served as deputy chief of the astronaut office from 2020 to 2022.
“[Vast has] a compelling vision for developing a private commercial space station in low-Earth orbit, and I plan to play a contributing role in reaching that significant milestone in human exploration,” Feustel said in a statement. “These efforts are critical for establishing a global human space economy, which will enable our species to explore further and further from our home planet.”
Feustel’s spaceflight experience includes three space missions. In 2011, he flew on the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavor to the International Space Station. He flew on the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission in 2009. Most recently, in 2018, Feustel served as commander during a 197-day mission aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket to the ISS.
In 2000, Feustel joined the NASA Astronaut Corps after a career in the Canadian mining industry followed by a job with the ExxonMobil Exploration Corporation in Houston as an exploration geophysicist.
“We look forward to working with Drew on some key design trades where practical spaceflight and user experience is vital to guide our engineering teams, and utilize his wealth of knowledge executing our future crewed missions,” Alex Hudson, Vast’s chief technology officer, said in a statement.
Feustel is the second veteran astronaut Vast has brought on in an advisory role. In July, the firm announced Garrett Reisman as its first human spaceflight advisor. Reisman, also an aquanaut, flew three missions and worked with SpaceX before joining Vast.
Topics: California, Space, Long Beach