Vasa was built to be Sweden's flagship for the reserve fleet. It was richly decorated with sculptures and new modern cannons, intended to impress the Swedish enemy: Poland. Vasa was war propaganda in the form of a ship and therefore an important symbol for Sweden, with the purpose to boast Sweden's power and wealth.
Vasa was to sail out into the Stockholm archipelago, to Älvsnabben, where the fleet had a base and the possibility to take on board soldiers and equipments. There Vasa was suppose to wait for King Gustavus Adolphus further orders.
Admittedly, the ship was known to be unstable. The king's men were, however, under huge pressure from Gustavus Adolphus, who had waiting for the ship, which construction had been delayed. As the destination was Älvsnabben and not Poland, it was conidered that Vasa would make it all the way to the destination.