SpaceX
NASA awards $843 million to SpaceX for ISS deorbit vehicle
NASA has opted for SpaceX to build a deorbit vehicle that will be used to phase out the International Space Station (ISS) from Earth’s orbit. Both partners will collaborate on an advanced space vehicle to ensure the safe removal of the space station modules.
This is a “Single-award” contract with a combined worth of $843 million to develop a deorbit vehicle. Once created and functional, NASA will take ownership and use it for the deorbit missions. Along with the phased-out space station, the vehicle is expected to destructively break up during the re-entry.
Furthermore, the space agency has confirmed that it will procure launch services in the near future.
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington said the selection of a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its partners to conduct a safe transition in low Earth Orbit.
Since 1998, five space agencies have been operating the International Space Station including managing and controlling the hardware. That includes:
- NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)
- ESA (European Space Agency)
- CSA (Canadian Space Agency)
- State Space Corporation Roscosmos
The first ISS module was launched in 1998 and the first human crew arrived on November 2, 2000. The station has been in service for the past 24 years and remain active until 2030. As of March 2024, the station has hosted 279 astronauts from 22 countries.
International Space Station (ISS) (Image Source – NASA)
The deorbit also marks an era of commercial space stations. Numerous companies are working on commercially developed space launch services for low Earth orbit. NASA will leave this segment unoccupied for commercial players and allocate its funding to explore deep space with space programs such as Artemis to return humans to the moon.
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For now, NASA has not revealed any further details about this SpaceX deorbit vehicle but the development will take some time and need to be tested thoroughly to ensure safe procedures.
