SpaceX will test deorbiting the ISS with a Dragon capsule

The International Space Station (ISS) has only a few years left before being rushed to Earth where it will burn up in the atmosphere before plunging into the Pacific Ocean.

This risky maneuver is planned for 2030 and technical operations are being prepared now. This is the firm SpaceX which will be responsible for giving the ISS the impetus to leave its orbit at an altitude of 400 km and approach the Earth where it will gradually be slowed down by the atmosphere, then accelerating its fall.

A little Dragon to test, a big Dragon to make

A capsule Dragon responsible for bringing cargo and secured to the ISS will carry out a pushing maneuver for 12 minutes to assess maneuvering and altitude control capabilities.

This will be a first for this capsule, such a maneuver having already been carried out previously by Soyuz capsules to regain altitude to the orbital station and extend its lifespan, and this will provide valuable flight data for the Larger Dragon vehicle who will be responsible for deorbiting in a few years.

The data collected could also be used for future deorbit assistance systems which will help limit the space pollutionan increasingly acute problem, by controlling and accelerating the return of satellites and stations to the atmosphere.

End of life for the ISS

At only 400 km altitude, the International Space Station is increasingly hampered by the very upper atmosphere and it will not be able to stay in orbit for very long.

There had been talk of repositioning it at an altitude of 500 kilometers to extend its lifespan, but the abandonment of support from Russia planned since the conflict with Ukraine in 2022 will not allow its operating cycle to be extended further. beyond 2030.

Behind, projects of private orbital stations are already being designed and should make it possible to maintain a human presence in space after the end of the ISS, by combining research and space tourism using modular and/or inflatable habitats.