Why will NASA pay SpaceX $843 million to plunge ISS into Pacific Ocean? Will it not burn up while making re-entry to Earth?

What will happen to the International Space Station when it outlives its utility or completes its age? Launched in 1998, the ISS is about the size of an American football ground and it has continuously had people on board since 2000. It has been orbiting 250 miles above the Earth and emerged as a symbol of unity across nations despite divergent and contradictory geopolitical interests on Earth. The ISS has provided scientists with a platform to conduct experiments across areas like space science, biology, human physiology and physical sciences. But what next?

Also Read: China's lunar lander brings back something astonishing from the moon, everything we know

NASA Orders SpaceX ‘US Deorbit Vehicle’

According to 'Metro', the National Aeronautics and Space Agency has asked Elon Musk-owned company SpaceX to develop a vehicle that will lead the US sections of the ISS to its death when its time is over. It has awarded SpaceX $843 million to build a ‘US Deorbit Vehicle’ that can take away the US part of the ISS and plunge it safely into the Pacific Ocean. Confirming the deal, NASA Spokesman Ken Bowersox said that choosing a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help the space agency and its international partners to ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations. He said further that the orbital laboratory will continue to be a blueprint for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all.

When will the ‘US Deorbit Vehicle’ be built?

However, it may not happen soon as the US, Japan, Canada and other countries under the European Space Agency have committed to their partnership until 2030. Besides, Russia has agreed to remain a partner of the ISS until 2028.

Though most of the space debris burns up while making re-entry to the Earth, NASA knows well that given its size, all of the ISS will not burn up. So, it has made a plan to send it to a watery grave in the Pacific Ocean.

NASA report

Earlier last year, NASA said in a report that the ISS operators would perform the ISS re-entry burn once it had lined up over 'the South Pacific Oceanic Uninhabited Area (SPOUA)' around Point Nemo. NASA's decision to ask Spacex to build the deorbit vehicle was taken after the space agency and its partners studied deorbit requirements. It concluded that a new spacecraft solution would 'provide more robust capabilities for responsible deorbit'.

Also Read: The Thicket: Peter Dinklage-led Western thriller’s release date, cast, crew, plot and characters

FAQs:

Why will NASA not allow the ISS to burn up while making re-entry to the Earth?
NASA will not leave it to the ISS to burn up itself while making re-entry to the Earth because of its size. The ISS is about the size of an American football pitch.

How much will NASA pay to SpaceX?
NASA will pay $843 million to build a ‘US Deorbit Vehicle’ that can take away the US part of the ISS and plunge it safely into the Pacific Ocean. It does not include the launch cost, so it will cost more.