The International Space Station (ISS) docked its last Leonardo module in 2011. It took more than a decade to completely build it, but the countries involved knew that it would not last forever and that they would have to remove it from orbit at some point. We are expected to say goodbye to the gigantic space laboratory in 2030. NASA is already planning how they will do it and SpaceX will take the lead.
The ISS project is a collaboration between five participating space agencies: CSA/ASC (Canada), ESA (Europe), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan) and NASA (United States). The latter is what is preparing the safe deorbitation of the ISS that will take place in less than a decade.
In order to have everything ready in time to get rid of the ISS, NASA signed a contract with SpaceX this week. According to a statement from the agency, Elon Musk’s company has been selected to develop and deliver a deorbiter vehicle. What they build will be used to prevent the orbital platform from falling into populated areas.
The ISS has been in continuous operation since 1998. In recent years, we have seen leaks and a number of other failures. The problems show that the space laboratory has aged and that we should soon get rid of it. To prevent uncontrolled deorbiting, NASA has turned to SpaceX.
It is the aerospace company that will also lead the first manned return flights to the Moon, with Starship. It is clear that NASA is confident in its capabilities. And, now, they also want them to demonstrate it with the deorbiting of the ISS.
The terms of the contract between NASA and SpaceX for the ISS
The latest agreement reached by Elon Musk’s company and NASA concerns a spacecraft that will be responsible for bringing the ISS back to Earth. The vehicle, which they have called the ‘US Deorbit Vehicle’, must ensure that the deorbiting is carried out safely. This means that the rocket will have to guide the enormous laboratory to the Pacific Ocean and under no circumstances should it reach areas with humans.
The part of the ocean where the US Deorbit Vehicle is expected to take the ISS is nothing more and nothing less than the “spacecraft graveyard.” An area between New Zealand and South America where many vehicles from space have already landed. According to reports, there are almost 300 remains of spacecraft that have ended up in this oceanic nook. From capsules to rockets and cargo ships.
Building ‘Us Deorbit Vehicle’ before 2030 will not be an easy task. It must be taken into account that the ISS has a mass of 419,725 kilograms, measures 73 meters long and 109 meters wide. The modules were put together over 13 years and SpaceX will have to bring it back in record time.
According to the contract, the idea is that most of the orbital platform will disintegrate. However, there may be pieces that fall to Earth and will have to do so in the spacecraft graveyard. The task of disposing of the ISS will be done in three stages:
- First, the US Deorbit Vehicle rocket will guide the solar panels and radiators out to sea.
- Afterwards, it will be the turn of the individual modules.
- Finally, the spacecraft will take care of the primary structure, also called the shell.
To carry out this arduous task, NASA has given SpaceX a budget of $843 million. It should be noted that keeping the International Space Station operational costs approximately $3.1 billion a year. Therefore, no matter how expensive the project is, it will be cheaper than the maintenance of the orbital laboratory.
