NASA has awarded Elon Musk’s SpaceX an $843 million contract to design and build a spacecraft to safely return the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth at the end of its operational life.
Ars Technical Reports The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has taken an important step toward the responsible completion of the International Space Station’s mission. The agency has awarded SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk, an $843 million contract to develop the “American Deorbit Vehicle.” The spacecraft will play a key role in the controlled decommissioning of the International Space Station, scheduled for 2030.
The deorbiter, scheduled to dock with the ISS in 2029, will guide the massive space station back into Earth’s atmosphere and perform 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 it were to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere uncontrolled.
Ken Bowersox, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space Operations, highlighted the importance of the mission, saying, “Selecting a U.S. deorbiter for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition to low Earth orbit at the end of the Station’s operations. He added that the decision also supports NASA’s future commercial destinations plans and will enable the continued utilization of near-Earth space.”
The decision to end the ISS’ operational life by 2030 was driven by several factors, primarily the aging of the station’s infrastructure, with some parts already more than 25 years old, and concerns about growing cracks in the Russian portion of the space station. It may be possible to maintain the ISS beyond 2030, but crew time would need to increase to ensure safe operation.
Another key factor in NASA’s decision is its goal of fostering a commercial economy in low Earth orbit. NASA is partnering with several private companies to develop a commercial space station that could accommodate not only NASA astronauts, but also astronauts from other countries and the public by 2030. By finalizing an end date for the ISS, NASA aims to provide certainty to these private companies and their investors.
Given the ISS’s massive size (about the size of a football field) and its 450-ton weight, the deorbiting process is a complex undertaking. NASA explored a variety of alternatives before settling on a controlled splashdown. One option would have been to move the station into a stable parking orbit 40,000 kilometers above Earth, but this was deemed impractical due to the sheer amount of propellant required (an estimated 900 tons, the equivalent of 150 to 250 cargo resupply vehicles).
Details of SpaceX’s proposed deorbiter have not been released, but industry experts speculate it could be an improved version of the Dragon spacecraft or Dragon XL, which is being designed for NASA’s Lunar Gateway station. The vehicle selected will need significant thrust and the ability to remain docked to the space station for extended periods of time.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
