NASA and SpaceX release plan to destroy ISS
- July 19, 2024
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Over the past 23 years, the International Space Station has hosted hundreds of astronauts. But its days are numbered. In June, NASA announced it would pay Elon Musk’s
Over the past 23 years, the International Space Station has hosted hundreds of astronauts. But its days are numbered. In June, NASA announced it would pay Elon Musk’s SpaceX up to $843 million to help decommission the ISS.
NASA and SpaceX on Wednesday shared new details about their plan, which calls for a super-powerful, super-large Dragon spacecraft that could knock the ISS out of orbit and possibly crash it into a distant tomb in the ocean in 2031.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft currently carries NASA astronauts and cargo to and from the ISS, but the astronauts and cargo are extremely light compared to the ISS, which weighs approximately 925,000 pounds.
That’s why SpaceX is considering overloading one of its Dragons for the job.
How does SpaceX plan to destroy the ISS?
SpaceX plans to equip the current Cargo Dragon with a powerful new body and power it with 46 Draco engines, 30 more than the regular Dragon. The resulting “deorbiting vehicle” will be roughly twice as long as a traditional Dragon ship and will carry six times as much fuel to produce four times the power.
SpaceX has released a render of what its updated Dragon could look like on X:
With 6 times more fuel and 4 times more power than today’s Dragon spacecraft, SpaceX was selected to design and develop the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle for precise and controlled deorbit. @Space station https://t.co/GgtuplTwqQ pic.twitter.com/E23sS7CE4U
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 17, 2024
Sarah Walker, SpaceX’s Dragon mission management director, said the most difficult part of the mission will be the final burn that puts the ISS on its final landing course.
“This burn has to be strong enough to fly the entire space station and at the same time resist the torques and forces caused by the increasing drag of the atmosphere on the space station and eventually get it to its destination,” Walker said at a briefing on Wednesday.
The ISS’s ultimate destination will be a remote part of the ocean, such as the South Pacific, but NASA hasn’t chosen a specific location yet. When a spacecraft the size of a football field lands, NASA doesn’t want it to crash anywhere but in the open ocean.
A new page in space exploration
“The opportunity to help close this important chapter in space exploration is an honor,” Walker said.
“I think it’s been a great overall experience for me and for SpaceX,” Walker said at Wednesday’s briefing.
Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to dock with the ISS in 2012, and if all goes as planned, it will be the last spacecraft to dock with the station.
“I cannot emphasize enough how honored we are to be a part of this movement,” Walker said.
NASA considered doing the job with three Russian Progress spacecraft, but even those were not enough for the size of the space station, according to Dana Weigel, NASA’s ISS program manager.
NASA and its Russian partner Roscosmos plan to continue using the ISS until 2030, when both agencies plan to go their separate ways and move on to new space stations. NASA hopes to be one of many customers of private space stations in the future.
Source: Port Altele
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