Vast Propulsion Engineer Helps Build Path to Commercial Space Access
Brianna Clark works as a propulsion engineer at Vast and contributed to the Vast Haven demo, which tested technology for future human habitats in low Earth orbit. She is also involved with Haven-1, currently targeted for launch no earlier than the first quarter of 2027. Clark says commercial space is broadening opportunities for people beyond traditional aerospace backgrounds.
Clark's path to propulsion engineering began early. As a child, she built model "satellites" from coffee cans and foil, then worked on small experimental rockets while studying at California State University, Long Beach. She later interned at Relativity Space, Blue Origin, and Vast, and was selected for the Zed Factor Fellowship's 2024 class and the Brooke Owens Fellowship's 2026 class.
At Vast, she supported the Haven demo, which examined technologies for future LEO habitats, and she is now part of work on Haven-1, planned for no sooner than Q1 2027. She has described the feeling of seeing hardware reach space as surreal and sees commercial space as widening access.
Progress in commercial space habitats and propulsion could affect researchers, medical and pharmaceutical teams, and ordinary people who may benefit from LEO experiments. It may also create career pathways for students and workers without conventional aerospace backgrounds. If Haven-1 and related systems advance, private space activity could become more familiar and accessible, though actual effects will depend on technical success, cost, and safety.