In a strategic move for the future of space exploration, NASA has awarded Elon Musk’s company a contract for $843 million to develop a vehicle specifically designed to deorbit the ISS at the end of its useful life.
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Elon Musk will destroy the International Space Station
POT
This important contract, announced on June 27, 2024, marks a crucial step towards responsible management of the orbital laboratory, which has been fundamental to scientific research and international cooperation since its launch in 1998.
Elon Musk and a delicate and complex work
According to NASA’s official statement, the vehicle developed by SpaceX must be able to deorbit the Space Station and ensure that it does not pose risks to populated areas of Earth.
It is imperative that this process be carried out safely and without causing damage to inhabited areas.
Although SpaceX will be responsible for the design and manufacture of the vehicle, it will be NASA’s sole responsibility to operate it and carry out the deorbit mission.
International Space Station: an impressive story
The life of the International Space Station was remarkable since its launch into orbit in 1998. It has played a crucial role in scientific research, long being the world’s only orbital laboratory. Although other projects have emerged, such as the Chinese Tiangong space station, the ISS has been fundamental to international cooperation and global scientific advancement.
The ISS has hosted crews from a variety of countries and facilitated a wide range of scientific experiments and international missions since 2000.
So far, space agencies from the United States, the European Union, Japan and Canada have pledged funding to operate the station until 2030. Russia, for its part, has announced its involvement until 2028 and also plans to develop its own orbital laboratory in the near future.
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Starlink, Elon Musk’s internet service, has arrived in Argentina.
In terms of replacement, several private companies in the aerospace sector, such as Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin, have put forward proposals for potential successors to the ISS. These proposals could define the future of human exploration in low-Earth orbit.
The ISS will always be remembered as a symbol of international collaboration in science and space exploration, benefiting all of humanity with its discoveries and technological advances.
In conclusion, the planned end of the ISS marks the beginning of a new era in space exploration, where collaboration between space agencies and private companies will play a crucial role in expanding our frontiers in the cosmos.
