ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 An investment by a venture fund affiliated with the U.S. national security community in commercial space station developer Vast is not necessarily a sign of military interest in human spaceflight.<\/p>\n
Vast announced Oct. 30 that IQT, also known as In-Q-Tel, had invested in the company and will serve as an observer on Vast\u2019s board. Vast did not disclose the size of the investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIQT is the not-for-profit strategic investor the U.S. national security community and America\u2019s allies have relied upon [it] for 25 years to anticipate their technology questions and needs and achieve solutions,\u201d the company said in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gareth Keane, a partner at IQT, discussed the investment during a Nov. 6 panel at the Economist Space Summit here. \u201cI don\u2019t think humans in space will ever not be a thing,\u201d he said. \u201cHumans in space is an important thing, so we\u2019re pleased and excited to support the Vast team as they go out and start making us truly a multiplanetary species.\u201d<\/p>\n Keane spoke on a panel about dual-use technologies, prompting a question about whether IQT saw national security value in the commercial space stations Vast is developing.<\/p>\n Not necessarily, he said. \u201cA lot of investments that we make are purely for insight, to understand how markets are evolving,\u201d Keane said. \u201cI think the commercial space station sector is no different.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are multiple players there. We\u2019d just like to know if there are ways to build a commercial business that will be effective,\u201d he added, including how much U.S. government support those stations might need.<\/p>\n IQT has invested in dozens of space companies over the years, from launch vehicle developers to in-space services providers. Most offer products or services with clear national security applications.<\/p>\n