The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced a new plan to decommission the International Space Station (ISS) and place it in orbit. If earlier it was planned to use Russian Progress ships in the final phase, now NASA plans to withdraw a new ship, which it offers to American private companies.

It was previously announced that Roscosmos plans to complete work on the ISS in 2028. In contrast, NASA and its partners plan to complete work on the station in 2030. In connection with the deterioration of relations between the USA and Russia, NASA decided to use its own ship to disable the ISS. The American space agency noted that “the new solution for the spacecraft will provide more reliable opportunities for a responsible exit from orbit.”

NASA announced a tender in which contracts were offered to American companies for the development of the US Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), which will be used in the final stage of the process after the station naturally descends to the required orbital altitude.

The new ship will either be a modification of the existing ship or have a new design. The successful bidder will receive a fixed amount contract covering design, development, testing and evaluation followed by actual construction and commissioning (Fixed Price or Cost Plus Incentive Fee for the Design, Development, Testing and Evaluation phase).

Since the spacecraft under development will only have a single mission opportunity, NASA expects its systems to be extremely reliable and resilient to failure. Acceptance of applications for the tender ends on November 17, 2023. Source