SpaceX has been awarded a contract to assist in the decommissioning of NASA’s International Space Station, and the timeline may be sooner than expected.
The ISS, constructed in 1998, was a joint project involving NASA, Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada).
This collaboration has enabled scientists to carry out experiments that are impossible elsewhere, with the station orbiting approximately 250 miles above Earth.
The US space agency has referred to the ISS as “an unprecedented achievement in global human endeavors to build and utilize a research platform in space.”
The ISS was never intended to operate indefinitely, with its mission expected to conclude by 2030.
NASA plans to gradually lower the ISS’s orbit 18 months after final operations on board.
A spacecraft will then attach itself to the ISS and use its thrusters to guide the station towards Earth. SpaceX has secured the $843 million contract for this task.
The mission involves a modified SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that will be equipped with six times the propellant and four times the thruster power of a standard Dragon.
As the ISS descends through the atmosphere, it will largely disintegrate and burn up.
However, the larger segments will survive re-entry and splash down at a location that NASA has yet to announce.
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, stated: “Selecting a U.S. 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.
“This decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth.
“The orbital laboratory remains a blueprint for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all.”
Looking forward, nine space stations, including China’s Tiangong station in orbit since 2021, will continue space-based research.
SpaceX has also been successful in securing various NASA contracts in recent years.
One of the latest is a $256 million contract for the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, which SpaceX will launch.
The mission will use a Falcon Heavy rocket to send NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft from Kennedy Space Center, Florida between July 5 and July 25, 2028.
The journey to Titan will take six years, with the landing anticipated in 2034. It’s something to anticipate with excitement!