NASA to give SpaceX $843 million contract to deorbit the International Space Station
Launched in 1998, the ISS has been a joint effort involving space agencies from the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Russia
NASA has announced that it will give a SpaceX $843 million contract to SpaceX to safely deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) and get it back to Earth. SpaceX is tasked with designing a deorbit vehicle that will push the ISS out of its orbit after 2030, when the operational life of the space station will end. This huge football field-sized station will ultimately crash into the ocean, travelling at speeds exceeding 17,000 mph (27,500 km/h) as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere.
Launched in 1998, the ISS has been a joint effort involving space agencies from the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and Russia. These agencies are collectively responsible for ensuring the safe deorbiting of the space station. Ken Bowersox, the associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, highlighted the significance of this decision, stating, “This decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth.”
Throughout its service, the ISS has been an important point of space exploration, hosting over 3,300 experiments across various disciplines that could not be conducted on Earth. Bowersox described the ISS as a “blueprint for science” and highlighted the value of international partnerships, which have yielded significant benefits for all involved.
Despite its successes, the ISS is nearing the end of its operational life by 2030. Technical faults and leaks have caused challenges for the crew and the agencies managing the station. Since its inception post-Cold War, the ISS has made the way for global collaboration in space. However, it now faces increasing risks from space debris, including satellites orbiting at high speeds. On June 27, the nine crew members aboard the ISS had to take cover in the docked Boeing Starliner crew capsule for about an hour due to the threat posed by hundreds of pieces of a broken Russian satellite.
The exact date for the deorbiting of the ISS has not yet been confirmed by NASA. However, the plan is to continue its operations till 2030.
This mission highlights the importance of safe and controlled deorbiting procedures for large space structures, aiming to reduce risks to both space operations and life on Earth. NASA’s as the space agency looks toward future commercial space destinations and the sustained use of near-Earth space.
The ISS has been an invaluable addition in space research and international cooperation. As it approaches the end of its life, the efforts to safely deorbit it highlight the continuous evolution of space exploration and the move towards a new sphere.
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