Since 2021 we have known that NASA intended to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) after 2030. For this, the agency needs spacecraft that can deorbit it, and now it has been revealed that SpaceX will be the company in charge of doing so. provide a deorbital vehicle.
Through a statement, the agency announced that Elon Musk’s company was selected to develop and deliver the ship, with whichand the corresponding maneuvers will be carried out and risks in populated areas will be avoided.
According to NASA, although SpaceX will manufacture the spacecraft, with an $843 million vehicle development contract, the agency will own and operate it during the mission. Together with the ISS, This vehicle will also completely disintegrate during the reentry process.
So far, both the United States, Japan, Canada, and ESA participating countries have committed to continue operating the station until 2030while Russia will remain on board the facility until at least 2028.
NASA’s plans for the ISS
According to the Station Transition Report, after the end of its operations, NASA will operate the ISS remotely to align its trajectory with its target on Earth.
The intention is that its debris end up falling into an uninhabited area in the South Pacific known as Point Nemowhich is the furthest place from the mainland, with the closest coast at 2,688 kilometers.
Originally it was planned to use both the propulsion capabilities of the ISS and its visiting vehicles. For example, according to NASA estimates, three of the Russian Progress ships could complete the maneuvers, although the possibility of using the Cygnus cargo ship had also been considered, to which some modifications would have to be made to support in deorbitation tasks.
However, in March 2023 and in September of the same year, the agency requested proposals from American space companies to develop a “space tug” vehicle for help take the American sections out of orbit from the ISS.
The next space stations
For now there are several proposals to relieve the work of the ISS. Currently in development are Axiom Space’s Axiom Station, as well as Orbital Reef, which Blue Origin is working on alongside Sierra Space, Boeing and Amazon, as well as Orbital Assembly’s Gravity Ring and Voyager Station.
Other proposals include Voyager Space’s Starlab with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, as well as Vast Space’s Haven-1 module, which plans to reach space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9.
