SpaceX Wins $843 Million NASA Deal to Deorbit 430-Ton ISS by 2030
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 26
SpaceX Wins $843 Million NASA Deal to Deorbit 430-Ton ISS by 2030
1 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Jun 26
Summary
$843 million will fund SpaceX to build a single-use U.S. Deorbit Vehicle that NASA will own and operate to push the 430-metric-ton ISS into the South Pacific in 2030.
NASA chose a controlled reentry because the station, without periodic reboosts, would eventually fall in an uncontrolled breakup, with several tons of debris potentially surviving over populated regions.
The craft will be a heavily modified Dragon with far more propellant and power, likely launched on Falcon Heavy, then used for weeks of braking burns before a final hours-long deorbit burn.
Point Nemo, a remote Pacific disposal zone already used for retired spacecraft, is the planned impact area, with airspace and shipping lanes closed during the reentry window.
The plan underscores a tight handoff in low Earth orbit: commercial successor stations are still in development, raising the risk of a U.S. presence gap after the ISS retires.
With NASA's successor program in turmoil, will the US cede low Earth orbit to China after the ISS is gone?
What are the hidden ecological risks of sinking 430 tons of spacecraft, the largest in history, into our oceans?
The $843 Million Plan to Deorbit the ISS: SpaceX’s Role, Technical Challenges, and the Future of Human Spaceflight
Overview
The safe deorbit of the International Space Station (ISS) is a shared responsibility among the United States, Japan, Canada, ESA, and Russia, with most partners committed through 2030 and Russia supporting at least until 2028. Due to the ISS’s age and growing structural concerns, NASA has made developing a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) a strategic priority, ensuring an independent and reliable way to safely guide the massive station back to Earth. This approach addresses both the need for international coordination and the urgency of having a backup plan in case of emergencies or changing partner commitments.