On June 25, NASA announced that SpaceX, the company of technology billionaire Elon Musk, was awarded a contract worth 843 million USD to design and manufacture the US Deorbit Vehicle spacecraft with a special mission.
Once SpaceX completes production, the ship will be handed over to NASA, which will take full control of its operations.
The ISS weighs 430,000 kg and is the largest single structure ever built in space.
A photo of the ISS taken by SpaceX's Dragon Endeavour spacecraft in 2021. (Photo: NASA).
Based on previous assessments of space stations like Mir and Skylab, NASA predicts the ISS will break up in three stages.
First, the giant solar panels and heat sinks will shut down, then individual modules will separate from the station's backbone structure. Finally, the backbone and modules will disintegrate.
Most of the parts would evaporate, except for the larger pieces. So NASA planned to target Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean to let these pieces fall, as the location is one of the most remote places on earth and is known as the graveyard of satellites and spacecraft.
The first part of the ISS was launched into space in 1998 and since 2001, it has always been home to crews.
The United States, Japan, Canada and the member states of the European Space Agency (ESA) have committed to operating the ISS microgravity laboratory until 2030, while Russia has only committed to operating it until 2028.
Several companies are working on commercial alternatives to the ISS, including Axiom Space and Blue Origin, owned by businessman Jeff Bezos.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc-cong-nghe/spacex-se-pha-huy-tram-vu-tru-quoc-te-20240629020702242.htm
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