SpaceX building NASA craft to destroy the International Space Station
SpaceX secures an $843 million NASA contract to construct the "U.S. Deorbit Vehicle" for the intentional destruction of the ISS in 2030. NASA plans to replace the ISS with private space stations.
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SpaceX has been awarded an $843 million contract by NASA to build the "U.S. Deorbit Vehicle" that will guide the intentional destruction of the International Space Station (ISS) after its retirement in 2030. The spacecraft will push the ISS into reentry from orbit, ensuring a controlled and safe deorbit process to avoid risks to populated areas. NASA highlighted the importance of preparing for the ISS's safe destruction and mentioned that alternatives like disassembling the station in orbit were considered but deemed technically or economically infeasible. The ISS, which has been crewed since 2000 and served as a research laboratory for various experiments, is facing challenges like microscopic leaks. NASA is planning to replace the ISS with private space stations through programs like Commercial LEO Destinations, aiming to reduce costs compared to the ISS's $150 billion development and $4 billion annual operating expenses. The decision to destroy the ISS was based on a study evaluating preservation and reuse options, ultimately concluding that extending its operational lifetime beyond 2030 would require further assessment and international agreements.
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10 commentsHere's the thread from yesterday
Is this a “it’s fine, they can model it so well that they’ll target a couple hundred square kilometres in the middle of the ocean” thing or a “pieces will be spread across many thousands of kilometres, but it probably won’t hit anyone because the earth is really big..” thing.
Of the upfront cost maybe, but it’s like moving from being the landlord to being the renter where there’s only a couple bungalows on the island.
Costs be going way up year on year. Short sighted reasoning.
I imagine it would have required an insane amount of energy, but it would have been cool to imagine it drifting off, a-la "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets".
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