Nasa initiates process to dismantle ISS, SpaceX to design deorbit vehicle

Beginning of the end of ISS: The US space agency, Nasa, said the deorbit of the space station by 2030 will pave the way for planned commercial space stations

NASA has selected Elon Musk’s SpaceX to design and develop a vehicle capable of deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS) after its operational life ends in 2030.

“Selecting a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help Nasa and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations,” Nasa announced on Wednesday.

“The orbital laboratory remains a blueprint for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all,” the statement added. The planned vehicle will help dismantle the station and allow it to fall back to Earth in a controlled way, after which it is expected to destructively break up as part of the re-entry process.

The agency said the decision supports its plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth. Nasa hopes the private industry will have the space stations up and running by the time the ISS is taken out of orbit.

During a briefing on January 25, 2024, Steve Stich, manager of Nasa’s commercial crew program at Johnson Space Center in Houston, said the ISS may continue to operate until commercial space stations are in orbit and ready for crews.

"We want [the commercial stations] to be supportive, and then when they're ready to go, that's when the ISS will move out of the way," Space.com quoted Stich as saying.

While the private space industry has been booming for the last two decades, no company has operationalised a space station in Earth’s orbit. Many companies, such as Axiom Space and Blue Origin, are, however, in the process of building their own space stations and plan to operationalise them by the end of this decade.

The ISS has been in orbit since 1988, with five space agencies supporting its operations – Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Nasa, and State Space Corporation Roscosmos.

According to the Nasa announcement, the US, Japan, Canada, and the participating countries of the European Space Agency have committed to operating the station through 2030, with Russia saying it will continue supporting the station until at least 2028.

The contract to deorbit the station is reportedly worth up to $843 million, which does not include launch costs.

The ISS has been an indispensable scientific platform for many countries to conduct experiments across multiple disciplines of research, including Earth and space science, biology, human physiology, physical sciences, and technology demonstrations not possible on Earth.

Why is deorbiting the ISS necessary?

Nasa, along with its main partner Roscosmos, has admitted that they have been unable to stop a worsening problem of microscopic leaks on the station. The ISS is ageing, and the number of technical glitches has been rising for many years. The US-based space agency released a study saying it was technically and economically unfeasible to try to preserve or reuse the ISS.

Experts agree that the decision to destroy the ISS was now “an unavoidable choice.” The rise of innovation in the private space industry has been phenomenal, giving Nasa the confidence to hand over the reins of such platforms to capable players. The agency said it could be possible to extend the life of the space station beyond 2030, but the decision was contingent on the international partner agencies agreeing to support its operations beyond that period.