Vast's Ties to China Raise Concerns Over NASA Contract Bid
Vast, a California-based aerospace company, is vying to build the successor to the International Space Station. But its partnership with Addvalue Technologies could be a liability, given that Addvalue operates in China and has deep ties to the Chinese Communist government.
In February 2024, Vast partnered with Addvalue to supply communications systems for a precursor to its proposed ISS successor. The subsidiary, Zhongxin Chuangzhi Technologies (Beijing) Ltd, lists an office inside Beijing's capital city and has signed lucrative contracts with CCP-aligned companies. One such contract is for thousands of vessel-monitoring terminals with CTTC-Shanghai, whose parent company is the China Transport Telecommunication and Information Center, an arm of the CCP's Ministry of Transport.
A former Trump administration national security official warned that entrusting taxpayer-funded space infrastructure to Vast raises serious questions about its ties to the Chinese Communist Party. 'The U.S. should not entrust taxpayer-funded, national security-sensitive space infrastructure to Vast while serious questions remain about the company's ties to the Chinese Communist Party,' they said.
Vast has also been criticized for its stance towards President Donald Trump. Garret Reisman, a former NASA astronaut and Vast's astronaut advisor, expressed his desire to 'punch Trump in the face' on Instagram, which drew likes from multiple Vast employees. The company's CEO, Jed McCaleb, is also a crypto billionaire who gave $500,000 to We Deserve Better, a super PAC that backed Dean Phillips's Democrat presidential campaign.