SpaceX will create a spacecraft that «utilizes» the ISS in 2030

The NASA space agency has selected SpaceX to develop a spacecraft that will help the International Space Station to deorbiter in 2030. The contract is estimated at $843 million.

The ISS is approaching the end of its service life. Therefore, it will eventually have to be safely disposed of at the end of the decade. It is proposed to do this with the help of a spacecraft, which NASA calls the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle.

Little is currently known about this vehicle. However, NASA has clarified that this spacecraft will be different from the SpaceX Dragon capsule, which delivers cargo and crew to the station, and other vehicles that perform services for the agency. Unlike these vehicles, which are built and operated by SpaceX, NASA will take ownership of the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle after development and operate it during its mission.

After descent from orbit, both the ISS and the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle must disintegrate during reentry. One of the big challenges facing SpaceX is to ensure that the station re-enters the atmosphere in a way that does not endanger populated areas.

The contract for the launch of the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle will be announced separately.

NASA and its partners have been evaluating the use of the Russian spacecraft «Progress» for the re-entry mission. However, studies have shown that a new spacecraft is needed for the de-orbit maneuver. The responsibility for the safe liquidation of the station is shared by five space agencies working on the ISS: NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the State Space Corporation «Roscosmos». It is not yet known whether the contract amount is distributed among all participants.

Source: TechCrunch