NASA chooses SpaceX to bring ISS space station to Pacific 'graveyard'

The first part of the ISS was launched into orbit in 1998 and the space station has been continuously inhabited since 2001, according to AFP.

International Space Station (ISS)

The US, Japan, Canada and some members of the European Space Agency (ESA) have committed to operating the ISS until 2030 while Russia has only committed until 2028.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told Congress in April that given the current state of US-Russia relations, it should begin building a vehicle to safely remove the ISS from orbit so it doesn't fall back to Earth and harm people.

NASA announced on June 26 that it had selected SpaceX to build the ship that will help bring the ISS back into the atmosphere, called the US Orbital Departure Vehicle. The contract is worth an estimated $843 million.

NASA will take over the ship after SpaceX finishes building it and takes control of the mission to bring the ISS into the atmosphere, then fall to its resting place in the Pacific Ocean.

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The ISS is the largest structure ever built in space, weighing 430,000 kg. Engineers plan to carry out the mission in three stages. First, the solar panels and radiators will separate from the ISS. Next, the modules will separate from the main shaft of the ISS. Finally, the main shaft and modules will separate themselves.

Most of the debris will burn up, but the larger pieces will remain. So NASA is setting up a remote area in the Pacific Ocean called Point Nemo, also known as the graveyard of satellites and spacecraft, to dump those parts.

Currently, many companies are trying to develop their own space stations while China has built the Tiangong space station.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nasa-chon-spacex-de-dua-tram-khong-gian-iss-ve-nghia-dia-thai-binh-duong-185240627163707082.htm