NASA has announced that SpaceX will be the aerospace manufacturer responsible for building the ship that will carry the International Space Station (ISS) back into Earth’s atmosphere and to its final resting place in the Pacific Ocean after its retirement in 2030. The contract with SpaceX is valued at approximately $843 million, and the spacecraft, known as the “US Deorbit Vehicle,” will be developed and delivered by Elon Musk’s company.
NASA officials have stated that the selection of a US Deorbit Vehicle is crucial for ensuring a safe and responsible transition for the ISS at the end of its operations. The ISS, weighing 430,000 kilograms, is currently the largest single structure ever built in space. NASA engineers expect that upon atmospheric re-entry, the orbital outpost will decompose in three stages, with much of the material vaporizing but some larger chunks expected to survive.
Once SpaceX completes construction of the US Deorbit Vehicle, NASA will take ownership and control of operations throughout the mission. The selected area for the spacecraft’s final resting place in the Pacific Ocean, known as Point Nemo, is one of the most remote parts of Earth and is often used as a “graveyard” for satellites and spacecraft. Launched in 1998, this first segment of the ISS has been continuously inhabited by an international crew since 2001. The United States, Japan, Canada, and participating countries of ESA have committed to operating it until 2030 while Russia has only committed until 2028. Companies like Axiom Space and Blue Origin are currently working on commercial successors to this microgravity laboratory.