POT confirmed that SpaceX will play a decisive role in “retirement” International Space StationThe US space agency has announced that Elon Musk’s company will be responsible for developing the craft that will take it out of orbit and then crash into the Pacific Ocean.
Thus, SpaceX is guaranteeing a new multimillion-dollar contract that will strengthen its relationship with NASA. The potential total transaction value is reported to be 843 million dollars. Of course, this link does not include the service of launching the vehicle in question, the contract for which is planned to be concluded later. It is still unknown whether the agency will again lean towards Musk’s signature or decide to delegate this responsibility to another company (Blue Origin, ULA, etc.).
An interesting fact revealed in the announcement is that while SpaceX will be responsible for the development and production of the International Space Station deorbit vehicle, it will be owned by NASA. And it is the North American agency that will be responsible for its operation during the mission.
At this time, no technical or design details of the SpaceX tug have been released. NASA has mentioned that The ship will be destroyed along with the International Space Station after completing its return to Earth..
SpaceX to Play Key Role in Destroying International Space Station
NASA and the space agencies of Europe, Canada, Japan and Russia were retirement planning International Space Station. The Americans, Canadians, Japanese and Europeans have pledged to stay on the ISS until 2030, while the Russians plan to leave the ISS a couple of years earlier.
It is worth remembering that Roscosmos threatened to leave the orbital laboratory immediately after 2024 in response to international sanctions due to the war in Ukraine. However, they later changed their minds and guaranteed its continuity at least until 2028. In announcing the new contract with SpaceX, NASA emphasized that safely deorbiting the International Space Station This is the responsibility of five agencies..
At the beginning of 2022, a roadmap for the destruction of the International Space Station was released. The procedure is quite complex and requires several steps that will be completed over several years. According to what was revealed then, in the period from 2026 to 2028, the maneuvers will be carried out with the aim of gradually reduce the operating altitude of the ISS.

Beginning in January 2030, the International Space Station will begin to be decommissioned. First, the equipment that makes up the orbiting laboratory will be removed, and then From June to November the last crew will retire. NASA has established a line at an altitude of 280 kilometers as the “point of no return” for the ISS. This means that once you cross it, your final destination will be closed.
With SpaceX in charge of the tug, NASA is taking a very important step toward the end of the International Space Station’s life. Once it reenters Earth, what will happen in January 2031will crash in the South Pacific Ocean. More precisely, at the Pacific Ocean Pole of Inaccessibility, also called Point Nemo— the farthest place from any part of land. This will prevent the risk of garbage and debris getting into populated areas.
Source: Hiper Textual
