SpaceX’s $843 Million Plan To Safely Crash Space Station In The Ocean Revealed

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Officials from NASA and SpaceX have shared fresh details about their plan to de-orbit the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of its operational life in 2030. SpaceX was awarded an $843 million contract by NASA late last month to develop a ship that will dock to the ISS and push it towards the Earth. Details revealed in NASA's selection document for the award revealed that only SpaceX and Northrop Grumman were the final contestants for the award, with SpaceX edging out because of its existing strengths of the Dragon platform.

NASA shared during a media conference earlier today that the ISS de-orbit will be a long process, and the de-orbit vehicle will dock at the station a year and a half before its final reentry burns.

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NASA's Space Station Program Manager Dana Weigel shared the agency's plans for the multi-million dollar de-orbit vehicle. Unlike other missions to the ISS, carried out by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman, the de-orbit vehicle will be operated by NASA. Subsequently, NASA will choose a launch company on its own, and Weigel shared that this decision will be taken in the future. According to her, NASA will store the vehicle and run "periodic maintenance" before launch. NASA will launch the vehicle "about one and a half years before the final reentry burn."

After docking, NASA will run a series of checkouts to ensure the vehicle is "healthy." The station will take "about a year to a year and a half in total" to drift down, with the crew "on board as long as possible" to keep it healthy, revealed the NASA official. The crew will leave the station roughly six months before its reentry.

The ISS's final de-orbit maneuvers will take place at an altitude of