SpaceX to help Nasa 'deorbit' the International Space Station

Nasa has awarded Elon Musk’s SpaceX with the monumental task of deorbiting the International Space Station after 2030.

The $843 million contract, announced by the space agency on Thursday, includes the development of the United States Deorbit Vehicle that will dock with the station and perform a series of manoeuvres to bring it down safely into an ocean.

The station, which has been orbiting the planet for more than two decades, is nearing its end of operational life, with signs of ageing components and systems.

“Nasa announced SpaceX has been selected to develop and deliver the US Deorbit Vehicle that will provide the capability to deorbit the space station and ensure avoidance of risk to populated areas,” Nasa said.

The ISS has served as a beacon of international co-operation since 1998, bringing together five major space agencies, including Nasa, the Japanese, European, Canadian space agencies and Russia’s Roscosmos.

More than 270 astronauts and cosmonauts, including UAE's Hazza Al Mansouri and Sultan Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and two Saudi astronauts, have served missions aboard the station, carrying out thousands of experiments that have helped the science community on ground.

SpaceX to supply Nasa with the deorbiting vehicle

Nasa had asked companies earlier this year to submit proposals of technologies that could be used to help bring the station back down safely.

Its selection of SpaceX comes as no surprise, as the rocket company has already flown Nasa astronauts to and back from the space station since 2021 and has a $2.89 billion contract to land astronauts on the lunar surface using its Starship technology.

Nasa hires the services of SpaceX to use its Falcon 9 rockets to launch astronauts, but in this contract, the space agency would own the vehicle.

“While the company will develop the deorbit spacecraft, Nasa will take ownership after development and operate it throughout its mission,” the space agency said.

“Along with the space station, it is expected to destructively break up as part of the re-entry process.”

What about Russia?

The US segment is the largest on the ISS, after Russia, with both countries having a politically strained relationship on the ground, but have co-operated well in orbit.

Russia has agreed to work with the US when it is time to retire the station.

However, in the early days of when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, former Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin threatened to drop the station on the US, Europe, China or India because of sanctions placed on the country by the West.

“If you block co-operation with us, who will save the ISS from an uncontrolled deorbit,” he had posted on X, on February 24, 2022.

China, which is quickly emerging as a global space power, completed its station, called the Tianong, in low-Earth orbit.

Once the ISS retires, Nasa will shift its focus on helping to commercialise orbit, with several companies working towards launching commercial space stations.

End of an era

For the majority of its lifespan, the ISS has remained a symbol of international co-operation, rising above geopolitical tensions on Earth.

Thousands of research investigations have taken place aboard the laboratory, including helping to advance medical fields such as human physiology, where studies on muscle atrophy and bone density loss have provided insights into osteoporosis and muscle degeneration.

Space research has also contributed to understanding cardiovascular health, immune system responses and the development of new medical technologies and treatments for conditions such as cancer and infectious diseases.

Missions aboard the station also led to several spin-off technologies, such as advanced water purification systems now used in remote communities on Earth and robotic surgical devices that make minimally invasive surgeries possible.

Materials and technologies developed for the space station are now also being used on the ground to improve solar panels and safety gear for firefighters.