Conceived and designed since the 1980s, the International Space Station is close to “retirement”. Musk’s company must ensure orderly disposal
NASA selected SpaceXthe aerospace company founded and led by Elon Musk, to develop and build the US Deorbit Vehicle, a vehicle that will allow the International Space Station to deorbit and avoid risks to the safety of people living on Earth. As he commented Ken Bowersox NASA’s “this decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for continued use of near-Earth space.” But what are we talking about?
Why destroy the International Space Station?
As we read on TechCrunch, the ISS is nearing the end of its operations and NASA wants to make sure that the entire infrastructure – conceived and designed since the 1980s – is disposed of correctly. The American agency will become the owner of the vehicle developed by SpaceX, which will destroy itself together with the International Space Station once it returns it to the Earth’s atmosphere. All with the aim of not endangering any populated area.
Read also: Spy satellites, does Musk’s SpaceX have a billion-dollar contract with US intelligence?
The closing of a historic chapter of space exploration is therefore approaching. There ISS it was the first space laboratory and served several countries for decades, with an extraordinary demonstration of international cooperation. The United States, Japan, Canada and ESA members aim to keep the facility active until 2030, while Russia could separate from it in 2028. The deorbiting sure of International Space Stationwhich will be made possible thanks to SpaceX technology, is in the hands of all these agencies.
){kind=link}