We all know the ISS, the International Space Station was born from the merger of several projects, specifically the NASA Space Station Freedom with the Soviet/Russian Mir-2 station, the European Columbus station and the Japanese laboratory module Kibō. The program was born in 1993, managed by NASA, the Russian Federal Space Agency (RKA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
It is a unique science platform, where crew members conduct experiments in multiple research disciplines, including Earth and space sciences, biology, human physiology, physical sciences and technology demonstrations not possible on Earth. However, not everyone perhaps knows that the ISS already has an “expiry date”, the end of its operational life has in fact been set for 2030.
In the last few hours, NASA announced that it has chosen SpaceX to develop and deliver the United States deorbit vehicle, which will provide the ability to deorbit the space station and ensure risk prevention for populated areas.
SpaceX will build the vehicle for the American deorbit of the International Space Station
As anticipated in the introduction, the International Space Station is managed by five different space agencies, each of which will have to contribute to the end of the platform’s life cycle; at the moment the date set is 2030, this is because the United States, Japan, Canada and the ESA participating countries have committed to keeping the station operational until 2030, while Russia has committed to continuing the operations of the station at least until 2028.
As far as Americans are concerned, then, NASA has selected SpaceX for the development and delivery of the vehicle necessary to deorbit the International Space Station, when the vehicle is ready, the American space agency will assume ownership and control of it, managing it for the entire duration of the mission; the vehicle will break up as part of the process of re-entry into the atmosphere with the ISS.
The contract granted to SpaceX has a total potential value of 843 million dollars, while as regards the launch service of the vehicle, a specific contract will be prepared in the future. Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of the space operations mission directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, underlined how the choice of Elon Musk’s company represents a valid help for all the international partners involved:
The selection of an American deorbit vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition to low-Earth orbit after the station ends operations. This decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and enables the continued use of near-Earth space. The orbital laboratory remains a model for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all.
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