NASA has selected SpaceX to build the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), a “space tug” that will guide the International Space Station (ISS) out of orbit at the end of its operational life, expected around 2030. The contract is worth $843 million.
The USDV will latch onto the ISS, a structure roughly the size of a football field, and guide it as it descends from Earth’s orbit. Both the USDV and the ISS are expected to burn up upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Any parts of the ISS that survive reentry will be directed towards Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean, a location often used for controlled descents of space debris.
The USDV is expected to launch later this decade. Once developed, NASA will take ownership and operate it throughout its mission. The safe deorbit of the ISS is the responsibility of all five space agencies involved in its operations, including NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency.
Despite the ISS’s significant contributions to science and research, it is nearing the end of its life after more than two decades in low-Earth orbit. Commercially built space stations are expected to replace the ISS in low-Earth orbit, and NASA also plans to build a permanent base on the moon for long-duration missions.
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