NASA selects Elon Musk's SpaceX to build vehicle for safe deorbit of International Space Station

NASA is preparing to safely deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) in a controlled manner by 2030. In order to bring the massive space structure down, NASA has chosen SpaceX to develop the US Deorbit Vehicle, which will safely guide the ISS out of orbit, minimising risks to populated areas. NASA has confirmed that this vehicle will be owned and operated by it once developed. According to NASA, the contract awarded to SpaceX has a potential value of $843 million.

This vehicle will help NASA and its international partners bring down the massive structure in a safe manner at the end of the ISS's operational life. This new deorbit vehicle will continue to be used for future commercial space destinations, allowing continued use of near-Earth space for scientific and commercial purposes.

ISS origin and end
The idea of a space station has been around since the early 1900s. In the 1970s, the Soviet Union launched the first space stations, Salyut and later Mir. These were the first steps towards living in space for long periods. In 1980s, the United States planned to build a space station called Freedom. But due to high costs, they redesigned it in the 1990s to include international partners like Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. This led to the creation of the International Space Station (ISS).

Construction of the ISS started in 1998 with Russia launching the first module, Zarya, followed by the U.S. module Unity. Since November 2, 2000, astronauts from various countries have lived and worked on the ISS, conducting scientific research and experiments.

Since its inception in 1998, the ISS has been managed by five space agencies: CSA (Canada), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), NASA (USA), and Roscosmos (Russia). The station operates on contributions from all these partners. The US, Japan, Canada, and ESA countries are committed to ISS operations until 2030, while Russia has agreed to continue until at least 2028. However, the responsibility for safely deorbiting the ISS lies with all five agencies.

The ISS, now in its 24th year of continuous crewed operations, serves as a unique platform for scientific research in various fields, including Earth and space science, biology, human physiology, and physical sciences. It has enabled over 3,300 experiments in microgravity, involving thousands of researchers on Earth. The ISS also plays a crucial role in space commerce through partnerships for commercial crew and cargo, as well as research endeavours.