NASA has formally commissioned it. Space X will build a spacecraft for this purpose. It must be capable of deorbiting the International Space Station for destruction in the atmosphere. Yes, Space X will destroy the Space Station when it ends its operational life in 2030.
SpaceX will develop the deorbited spacecraft. But NASA will take over after development and operate it for the duration of its mission. Together with the space station, this unmanned spacecraft is expected to be destroyed as part of the re-entry process into the atmosphere. This ensures that there are no risks to populated areas, NASA reports.
Joint work
Following successive expansions, the International Space Station now weighs 420 tons. It is 73 square meters long and 109 square meters wide. It orbits the Earth at an altitude of more than 400 kilometers.
Since 1998, it has been operated by five space agencies. They are the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the State Space Corporation Roscosmos. Each agency is responsible for managing and controlling the hardware it provides.
The station was designed to be interdependent and relies on contributions from across the partnership to operate. The United States, Japan, Canada and ESA participating countries have committed to operating the station until 2030. Russia has committed to continuing station operations until at least 2028. Safe deorbiting of the International Space Station is the responsibility of all five space agencies.
Millionaire order
The single-award contract has a total potential value of $843 million. Deorbiter launch service will be a future acquisition.
Space X will destroy the Space Station, ending an entire era. There are 24 years of continuous manned operations. The space station is a scientific platform where more than 3,300 microgravity experiments were carried out focused on multiple research disciplines. It includes Earth and space sciences, biology, human physiology, physical sciences, and demonstrations of technology not possible on Earth.
