Weighing 430,000 kg and measuring the equivalent of one football field, the International Space Station (ISS) is currently the largest single structure ever built in space.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has selected the space exploration company SpaceX as a partner for the project to develop a device that will safely bring the ISS back into Earth’s atmosphere and to its “final resting place” in the Pacific Ocean, after the ISS completes its mission in 2030.
Under a contract worth $843 million, SpaceX will research and develop a spacecraft named the “US Deorbit Vehicle” to facilitate the safe decommissioning of the ISS, minimizing risks to densely populated areas.
International Space Station (ISS).
NASA will own and coordinate the operation of this device throughout the mission.
Ken Bowersox, an official at NASA, emphasized: “The selection of a device to deorbit the ISS will help NASA and our international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit as the space station’s operations conclude.”
Weighing 430,000 kg and measuring the equivalent of one football field, the ISS remains the largest single structure ever built in space.
Over its 24 years of operation, the ISS has primarily served the activities of American and Russian astronauts. Recent degradation of the ISS has led NASA and many partners to consider decommissioning the space station by 2030.
The United States, Japan, Canada, and countries involved in the European Space Agency (ESA) have committed to operating this microgravity laboratory until 2030, although Russia— the fifth partner—has only agreed to maintain its partnership until 2028, by which time the Russian space agency Roscosmos believes its technologies may still be usable.
Cooperation on the ISS between the U.S. and Russia continues despite current geopolitical conflicts, even if it is purely technical in nature. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has nearly severed Moscow’s cooperative ties with the West.
Initially, Russian thrusters were designed to bring the ISS into Earth’s atmosphere when the station’s operational time expired. However, in recent years, NASA has sought alternative options in case Russia withdraws from the partnership sooner than expected or is unable to carry out the mission.
The U.S. plan for managing the ISS has accelerated in recent years, as the White House and other governmental agencies have pressured NASA to develop contingency plans amid deteriorating relations with Russia.
Post-2030, NASA intends to fund the development of private space stations in low Earth orbit to maintain a U.S. presence there, involving companies like Airbus and Blue Origin.
While the private space station market has not yet developed, U.S. officials believe that a commercial alternative space station is necessary to compete with China’s newer space station in low Earth orbit.
Both NASA and China are racing to develop technology to send humans to the Moon. The U.S. space agency is investing billions of dollars, collaborating with several countries and companies, including SpaceX, to return humans to the Moon since 1972.
