NASA has awarded Elon Musk’s SpaceX an $843 million contract to design and build a spacecraft that will safely guide the International Space Station (ISS) back to Earth at the end of its operational life.
Ars Technica reports that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has taken a significant step towards ensuring the responsible conclusion of the International Space Station’s mission. The space agency has awarded SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk, a contract worth $843 million to develop a “U.S. Deorbit Vehicle.” This spacecraft will play a crucial role in the controlled decommissioning of the ISS, which is scheduled for 2030.
The deorbit vehicle, set to dock with the ISS in 2029, will be responsible for guiding the massive space station through Earth’s atmosphere and orchestrating a controlled splashdown in a remote ocean area. This careful approach is necessary due to the station’s considerable size and mass, which pose potential risks if left to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere uncontrolled.
Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for Space Operations, emphasized the importance of this mission, stating, “Selecting a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations.” He added that this decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of near-Earth space.
The decision to bring the ISS’s operational life to a close by 2030 is driven by several factors. Primary among these is the aging infrastructure of the station, with some parts now being a quarter-century old. There are also concerns about spreading cracks in the Russian segment of the space station. While it might be possible to maintain the ISS beyond 2030, it would require an increasing amount of crew time to ensure safe operations.
Another key factor in NASA’s decision is the agency’s goal to foster a commercial economy in low-Earth orbit. NASA is collaborating with several private companies to develop commercial space stations that could house NASA astronauts, as well as those from other countries and private citizens, by or before 2030. By setting a firm end date for the ISS, NASA aims to provide certainty to these private companies and their investors.
The deorbiting process is a complex undertaking, given the ISS’s massive size — approximately that of a football field — and its weight of 450 metric tons. NASA considered various alternatives before settling on the controlled splashdown approach. One option involved moving the station to a stable parking orbit at 40,000 km above Earth, but this was deemed impractical due to the enormous amount of propellant required — estimated at 900 metric tons, equivalent to 150 to 250 cargo supply vehicles.
While the specifics of SpaceX’s proposed deorbit vehicle remain undisclosed, industry experts speculate that it could be a modified version of the Dragon spacecraft or potentially the Dragon XL, which is being designed for NASA’s Lunar Gateway station. The chosen vehicle will need to have significant propulsive capabilities and the ability to remain docked to the space station for an extended period.
Read more at Ars Technica here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
