Space travel - SpaceX to bring the ISS out of orbit
The US space agency NASA has commissioned private space company SpaceX, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, to retrieve the International Space Station (ISS) from orbit after its planned operation ends in 2030.
SpaceX is to develop a vehicle capable of selectively retrieving the station and avoiding any risks to populated Earth regions, NASA announced. The contract is valued at $843 million (approximately €790 million). Both the vehicle and the station will be destroyed upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
Nine people on board the ISS
The ISS has been operated by NASA and space agencies from Canada, Japan, Russia, and Europe for approximately a quarter century. All except Russia have committed to operation until 2030; Russia has agreed until 2028. The safe decommissioning of the ISS is the shared responsibility of all partners, NASA emphasized.
Currently, there are nine people on board the ISS. Following the break-up of a satellite nearby, NASA reported that the astronauts had to temporarily retreat into their docked spacecraft.
This was a standard safety procedure for dealing with space debris, NASA stated. After about an hour, the astronauts were able to leave their spacecraft and normal ISS operations were resumed.
- SpaceX, the private space company led by Elon Musk, has been tasked by NASA to handle the retrieval of the ISS once its operation ends in 2030.
- SpaceX is set to develop a specialized vehicle for this task, aiming to safely retrieve the ISS without risking populated Earth regions.
- The value of this contract between NASA and SpaceX amounts to $843 million (approximately €790 million).
- The International Space Station (ISS) has been jointly operated by NASA, Canada, Japan, Russia, and Europe for over two decades.
- Despite Russia's agreement to operate the ISS until 2028, NASA emphasized that the safe decommissioning of the ISS is a joint responsibility among all partners.
- During a recent incident involving nearby space debris, the astronauts on board the ISS had to temporarily retreat into their docked spacecraft as a precautionary measure, which is a standard safety procedure for dealing with space debris.
