NASA Awards SpaceX $843M Contract to Decommission ISS by 2030

NASA Awards SpaceX $843M Contract to Decommission ISS by 2030
Image credit: NASA website 

NASA has chosen SpaceX to create a spacecraft tasked with de-orbiting the International Space Station (ISS) in 2030, a contract worth up to $843 million, the agency revealed on Wednesday.

The ISS is approaching the end of its service life. With plans for new, privately owned space stations emerging, the ISS, which pioneered human space habitation, will need to be safely decommissioned by the decade's end.

The spacecraft, termed the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle by NASA, will differ from SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which currently transports cargo and crew to the station. Unlike other SpaceX-built and operated vehicles, NASA will assume ownership and control of the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle after its development, managing it for the entire mission.

NASA and its partners had previously considered using a Russian Roscosmos Progress spacecraft for the de-orbit mission. However, studies indicated that a new spacecraft was necessary for the de-orbit maneuver. Ensuring the ISS reenters the atmosphere safely, without risking populated areas, will be one of SpaceX's major challenges.

Both the ISS and the new vehicle will break up upon reentry. The contract for launching the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle will be announced separately.

The safe decommissioning of the ISS is a collective responsibility of the five space agencies involved in its operations: NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscosmos. It is not clear if the contract's cost will be shared among these agencies.