NASA has selected SpaceX to build a vehicle capable of pushing the International Space Station (ISS) into Earth’s atmosphere and destroying it after it is retired in 2030. The structure is expected to partially burn up as it falls.
The contract won by billionaire Elon Musk’s company has a total value of up to $843 million (756 million francs), according to a NASA press release released on Wednesday.
The American space agency had already announced in the past its intention to plunge the 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 the ISS weighing 430,000 kg. The SpaceX vehicle should make it possible “to deorbit the space station and avoid any risk for inhabited areas,” NASA said.
Five agencies concerned
Just like the ISS, this vehicle should 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, for the moment, committed until 2028.
“The safe release of the International Space Station from orbit is the responsibility of all five space agencies,” NASA wrote soberly on Wednesday.
Despite the war in Ukraine, the ISS remains one of the rare areas of cooperation between Washington and Moscow. The flying laboratory has been permanently inhabited for more than 20 years.
After 2030, the United States is banking on private space stations in low Earth orbit, which could accommodate NASA astronauts as well as other customers. Several American companies are already working on these projects, including Axiom Space and Blue Origin.
ats, afp
