SpaceX to build vehicle that will drag the International Space Station out of orbit
The SpaceX-made vehicle could launch later this decade. It would latch onto the International Space Station and guide the craft as it plunges out of Earth’s orbit. The deorbit vehicle and the space station are expected to burn up as they slam back into the thick planetary atmosphere while still traveling more than 17,000 miles per hour.
SpaceX will receive a contract worth up to $843 million for the task, NASA said Wednesday.
The federal agency operates the International Space Station alongside a Russian space agency, which controls a key wing of the station and propulsion modules. Other agencies also play roles in its operations.
NASA noted that “the safe deorbit of the International Space Station is the responsibility of all space agencies.”
The federal agency, however, did not say if its international partners would shoulder some of the cost of SpaceX’s contract for building the deorbit vehicle.
SpaceX also did not respond to questions regarding the contract.
In prior documents, NASA said that it hoped the deorbit vehicle could be launched by December 2028. But the space agency stipulated that it would only require that the vehicle be ready by 2029.
Exactly when the space station will cease operations is not clear.
NASA has stressed that the space station provides a crucial platform for its astronauts to conduct science experiments and carry out research for future missions deeper into the cosmos, but the laboratory is rapidly aging.
NASA plans to hand over operations in low-Earth orbit to the private sector while focusing on exploring deeper into the solar system. The agency’s Artemis program seeks to return astronauts to the moon’s surface by 2026 and eventually establish a permanent lunar outpost.
In a separate announcement, NASA also said that it was ending a contract to develop new Extravehicular Activity spacesuits worn by astronauts during spacewalks. The decision was made due to development timeline issues.