NASA has awarded SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, a $843 million contract to safely deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) when its operational life ends in 2030.
As part of the agreement, SpaceX will build and launch the US Deorbit Vehicle, which can be used to carefully deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) while reducing risks to populated areas.
Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for Space Operations, said, “Selecting a US Deorbit Vehicle for the ISS will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations.”
SpaceX will manufacture the deorbit spacecraft, while NASA will manage its operations. The re-entry process will cause the space station to break up.
Since 1998, the ISS has hosted astronauts from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), NASA, and Roscosmos. Each agency managed the hardware it provided.
Russia has committed to maintaining operations through at least 2028, while the US, Japan, Canada, and ESA nations intend to run the station until 2030.
Currently in its 24th year of nonstop crewed operations, the International Space Station has enabled more than 3,300 microgravity experiments.