NASA has selected SpaceX for a significant contract worth up to $843 million to develop a spacecraft known as the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle. This spacecraft will be responsible for safely disposing of the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of its operational life in 2030. As plans for new commercially owned space stations take shape, the original ISS must be carefully de-orbited.
While specific details about the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle are limited, NASA has clarified that it will differ from SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which currently delivers cargo and crew to the ISS. Additionally, unlike other vehicles that SpaceX builds and operates for NASA, the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle will be owned by NASA and operated by the agency throughout its mission.
Both the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle and the ISS will break up during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. SpaceX’s primary task will be to ensure that the station reenters in a way that poses no danger to populated areas. This is a crucial safety consideration, and SpaceX will need to carefully plan the trajectory to minimize any potential risks.
The launch contract for the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle will be announced separately, indicating that there may be additional details to come regarding this spacecraft’s deployment.
Initially, NASA and its partners had considered using a Russian Roscosmos Progress spacecraft for the de-orbit mission. However, further studies revealed the need for a new spacecraft specifically designed for this task. The responsibility for safely disposing of the ISS is shared among the five space agencies operating on the station: NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and State Space Corporation Roscosmos. It remains unclear if all countries will contribute to the $843 million contract amount or if it will be covered solely by NASA.
To gather more information about this significant development, TechCrunch has reached out to NASA and will update their article accordingly if they receive a response. This demonstrates the importance of this contract and the curiosity surrounding the details of the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle and its mission to dispose of the ISS safely.