The ISS against the background of Earth.
No, Kosmosnews.fr has not decided to report on the space activity of the USA…
But we must be concerned about the end of life of the ISS scheduled for around the end of the decade.
However, the USA does not have the means to deorbit the ISS, given that the altitude of the ISS is mainly controlled by Russian machines.
The USA will therefore have to participate in one way or another in deorbiting when the time comes. They probably don’t want to pay the Russians to build and launch a machine to do the job. So they take the lead. It remains to be seen how the two countries will agree on how to do things and who will pay and in what proportions. Some time ago the Russians indicated that this would be done in proportion to the loads in orbit, therefore the majority for the USA and its allies (ESA, etc.).
In the meantime, here is the text of the information reported by TASS:
American authorities will allocate $843 million to SpaceX to create a device intended to ensure a controlled deorbit of the International Space Station (ISS) once its lifespan has expired. This is according to a press release from the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), published on June 26.
As the document notes, “it is important to prepare for a controlled, safe and responsible deorbit of the ISS after its end of life in 2030.” The agency notes that “SpaceX has been selected to design and build” a vehicle that “will allow the space station to deorbit and avoid any risk to populated areas.”
“The total potential value of the contract is $843 million,” the document states. Services for launching the device into space will be paid for later.
The US space agency noted that SpaceX “will develop this spacecraft” and NASA “will take ownership of it after its creation and manage it during the mission.” It is assumed that it will collapse while ensuring a controlled deorbit of the ISS.
The United States and several other countries intend to use the orbital complex until 2030, and “Russia has committed to continuing operation of the station until at least 2028,” the document adds.
Source: TASS; Photo credit: Roscosmos
