NASA announced on Wednesday that it had chosen SpaceX to develop a vehicle capable of pushing the International Space Station back towards the Earth’s atmosphere, thus allowing it to be destroyed after its retirement in 2030.
The contract won by billionaire Elon Musk’s company has a total value of up to $843 million, a NASA statement said.
The American space agency had already announced in the past its intention to plunge the International Space Station (ISS) into the Earth’s atmosphere above an ocean after its end of life. Some pieces will disintegrate during the maneuver, others more resistant will end up in the sea.
But this operation requires the development of a powerful vehicle, capable of maneuvering a space station weighing some 430,000 kg.
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The SpaceX vehicle will be designed to “deorbit the Space Station and avoid any risk to inhabited areas,” NASA said. Like the ISS, the vehicle is expected to break up upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, the space agency said.
Once developed, it will belong to NASA, which will be responsible for operating it during its mission.
The United States, Japan, Canada and the Europeans have committed to continuing operations of the ISS until 2030. Russia has so far committed until 2028.
After 2030, the United States is banking on private space stations in low Earth orbit, which could accommodate NASA astronauts as well as other clients. Several American companies are already working on these projects, including Axiom Space and Blue Origin.
With MAP
