Ars Technica reports, “NASA has awarded an $843 million contract to SpaceX to develop a ‘US Deorbit Vehicle.’ This spacecraft will dock to the International Space Station in 2029 and then ensure the large facility makes a controlled reentry through Earth’s atmosphere before splashing into the ocean in 2030.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Tag: US Space
NASA Posts RFI for ISS Deorbit Spacecraft
GovCon Wire reports that NASA “expects the International Space Station to conclude operations in late 2030 and is seeking information from potential industry sources of spacecraft that will work to deorbit the government-funded laboratory.” A request for information “posted Friday on SAM.gov says the deorbit vehicle should attach to the Node 2 Forward port one year before the controlled reentry of ISS into an unpopulated region.”
Full Story (GovCon Wire)
Congress Approves ISS Mission Extension to 2030
The Orlando (FL) Sentinel reported that Congress has passed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, authorizing NASA to keep the ISS operational until 2030. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, “This act shows continued bipartisan support of NASA’s many missions, including our Moon to Mars approach, as well extension of U.S. participation in the International Space Station to 2030.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel)
Tensions Between US, Russia Complicate ISS Operations
The Seattle Times reports that the International Space Station is seen as “a high-water mark for U.S.-Russia relations” by George Washington University Space Policy Institute Director Scott Pace, who added, “But it’s not invulnerable … If we were to start over today, we would not have the Russians as partners on the station. That was done in another, more hopeful, era.” Current political tensions between the US and Russia put continued cooperation aboard the space station in question.
Full Story (Seattle Times)