NASA Awards SpaceX $843 Million Contract to Deorbit ISS by 2030
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Contract Award | NASA awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to build a deorbit spacecraft. |
| Purpose | Safely deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) by around 2030. |
| ISS Details | - First parts launched in 1998. - Occupied since 2000 by astronauts from the U.S., Japan, Russia, Canada, and Europe. - Over 3,300 scientific experiments conducted. - Weighs 430,000 kg (950,000 lbs). |
| Deorbit Process | - ISS will re-enter Earth's atmosphere at over 17,000 mph (27,500 km/h). - Crashdown spot will be in the ocean. |
| Participating Agencies | Five agencies: U.S., Japan, Russia, Canada, and Europe. Contracts end by 2030. Russia's commitment ends in 2028. |
| Space Junk Risks | On June 27, 2024, nine ISS astronauts sheltered in Boeing Starliner due to debris from a shattered Russian satellite. |
| Future Space Stations | Axiom Space's Axiom Station and Blue Origin/Sierra Space's Orbital Reef to launch by 2030. |
| Responsibility | Safe deorbit is the responsibility of all five space agencies. |
| Precedent | Russia's Mir space station was deorbited in 2001, with debris falling into the Pacific Ocean. |