NASA and SpaceX have unveiled an ambitious plan to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) by 2031 using an upgraded Dragon capsule. This mission aims to safely guide the ISS into a controlled descent towards a remote location in the ocean.
The $843 million contract awarded to SpaceX marks a significant departure from traditional dismantling methods, which were deemed unsafe and logistically challenging. NASA views this initiative as a crucial step towards transitioning to commercial space stations, refocusing efforts on deep-space exploration missions, including missions to the Moon and Mars.
NASA and SpaceX plan to retrieve smaller artifacts from the ISS for museum exhibitions, while larger components will be allowed to burn up upon reentry, marking a seamless transition in the era of space exploration.
The Dragon spacecraft will play a pivotal role in steering the ISS towards its final descent trajectory. Although NASA has not yet pinpointed the exact location, the agency has assured that the spacecraft, roughly the size of a football field, will safely plunge into a remote part of the South Pacific Ocean, avoiding any populated areas.
Following the decommissioning of the ISS, NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, will pursue separate paths towards new space stations. NASA intends to shift towards smaller, privately-owned space stations orbiting closer to Earth's surface, marking a significant departure from the ISS, which has been jointly operated since its launch in 1998 by five international space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).
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