NAIROBI, Kenya- NASA has tapped Elon Musk’s SpaceX to bring down the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of its operational life.
SpaceX will develop a vehicle capable of guiding the 430-tonne Space Station into the Pacific Ocean in the early 2030s.
The contract for this monumental task, valued at up to $843mn, was announced on Wednesday.
The ISS has been a beacon of scientific discovery since its inception. Launched in 1998 with continuous crewed operations starting in 2000, this orbiting laboratory circles Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude just above 400km.
It’s been a home for thousands of experiments, exploring everything from human aging to the development of new materials.
Despite the station’s robust structure, plans for its disposal are essential. Without intervention, the ISS would eventually plummet back to Earth, posing significant risks to populations.
“Selecting a US De-orbit Vehicle for the ISS will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations,” stated Ken Bowersox, NASA’s director of space operations.
SpaceX’s Role in Safely De-orbiting the ISS
NASA has considered various options for the ISS’s end-of-life disposal, including disassembling it for parts or handing it off to a commercial entity.
However, these solutions come with complexities and legal entanglements. Instead, NASA has opted for a dedicated de-orbit vehicle, designed by SpaceX, to guide the ISS safely into a controlled descent.
Details about the design of this de-orbit “tugboat” are still under wraps, but it’s expected to pack considerable thrust.
This vehicle will ensure that the ISS re-enters the atmosphere at the right place and time. Given the station’s size—about as large as a football field—some components are likely to survive re-entry, making a precise and controlled descent crucial.
Controllers will allow the ISS’s orbit to decay gradually. After the final crew exits, the tugboat will execute the last de-orbit maneuver, steering the station to Point Nemo.
This remote Pacific Ocean spot, named after Jules Verne’s submarine sailor, is the chosen graveyard for redundant spacecraft, located over 2,500km from any land.
The agency hopes that by the time the ISS is decommissioned, private companies will have launched new commercial space stations.NASA and its partners are shifting focus to an ambitious lunar project: building the Gateway, a platform set to orbit the Moon.
