NASA has selected SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer, to build a ship that will carry the International Space Station (ISS) back into the Earth’s atmosphere and to the Pacific Ocean once it is retired in 2030. The contract with SpaceX has a potential value of $843 million. The spacecraft, named the “US Deorbit Vehicle,” will be developed and delivered by the company owned by Elon Musk.
According to Ken Bowersox, an official with NASA, the US Deorbit Vehicle will help ensure a safe and responsible transition of the ISS into low Earth orbit at the end of its operations. The spacecraft, weighing 430,000 kilograms, is the largest single structure ever built in space. NASA plans to take ownership of the vehicle after SpaceX builds it and will control operations throughout the mission.
NASA engineers expect the ISS to disintegrate in three stages upon atmospheric re-entry. While much of the material will vaporize, large chunks are expected to survive. NASA plans to target an area in the Pacific Ocean known as Point Nemo for the final resting place of the ISS, as it is one of the most remote areas in the world and a common “graveyard” for satellites and spacecraft.
Since its first launch in 1998, the ISS has been continuously inhabited by an international crew since 2001. Although the United States, Japan, Canada, and participating countries of the European Space Agency have committed to operating the ISS until 2030, Russia has only committed until 2028. Several companies, including Jeff Bezos’ Axiom Space and Blue Origin, are working on commercial successors to the ISS.