NASA announced this Thursday that it has selected SpaceX to build a vehicle capable of pushing the International Space Station back into Earth’s atmosphere so that it can be destroyed after completing its functions in 2030.
The contest, won by billionaire Elon Musk’s company, has a total value that could reach up to 843 million dollars (789.3 million euros), according to a statement from the North American space agency.
NASA announced last year its intention to dive the International Space Station (ISS) into the ocean after its end of life. Some pieces will disintegrate during the maneuver, while others, more resistant, will fall into the sea.
But this operation requires the development of a vehicle powerful enough to maneuver the ISS, which weighs around 430 thousand kilos.
The vehicle to be developed by SpaceX should allow “deorbiting the Space Station and avoiding any risks to inhabited areas”, said NASA.
Like the ISS, the vehicle that will push it must disintegrate upon re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
The vehicle, once completed, will belong to NASA, which will be responsible for operating it during the mission.
The United States, Japan, Canada and the Europeans have committed to continuing ISS operations until 2030, while Russia has done so, for now, until 2028.
“Safely removing the International Space Station from orbit is the responsibility of the five space agencies,” NASA wrote on Wednesday.
Despite the war in Ukraine, the ISS remains one of the rare areas of cooperation between Washington and Moscow.
