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NASA selected SpaceX to develop a purpose-built, uncrewed spacecraft that will help guide the International Space Station into a controlled reentry at the end of its planned operational life. “Destroy” means a planned breakup in Earth’s atmosphere—not an explosion in orbit.
What does the $843 million contract cover?
NASA selected SpaceX on June 26, 2024, to develop and deliver the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV). The potential value is about $843 million; NASA’s 2024 federal award record lists the base and all-options value as $843,256,689.85.
The award is for the vehicle’s development and delivery, not for a complete launch-and-deorbit package. NASA’s inspector general said launch and rendezvous costs are excluded. NASA plans to procure the launch service separately.
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The USDV is a specialized uncrewed spacecraft intended to provide the propulsion and control needed to bring the station down safely. NASA’s procurement description says SpaceX’s design is based on Dragon, with an enhanced trunk section.
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NASA will own the vehicle after delivery and operate it during the mission. SpaceX’s award is therefore not a contract to take ownership of the station or to fly a conventional crewed Dragon mission.
How will the ISS be deorbited?
At the end of station operations, the vehicle will help lower the ISS into the atmosphere and control its final trajectory toward a remote, unpopulated ocean area. The goal is a targeted reentry, rather than leaving the station to descend without guidance.
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The station and the vehicle are expected to break apart during atmospheric reentry. Most material should burn up or vaporize; some denser pieces, potentially including parts of the truss, may survive and splash down in the designated uninhabited region.
Why does NASA need a dedicated deorbit vehicle?
The ISS is the largest single structure built in space, according to NASA. Its size makes uncontrolled reentry a safety concern: surviving debris could reach populated areas. A controlled descent is intended to direct the remaining debris away from people.
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The plan is also part of the transition from the ISS to future commercial destinations in low Earth orbit. NASA and its international partners have committed to station operations through 2030 in NASA’s transition planning; that planning endpoint is not, by itself, a specific announced date for the deorbit mission.
When will the ISS be destroyed?
The station is expected to be deorbited after its planned operational life, with 2030 used as the endpoint in NASA transition planning. The information announced with the contract establishes the vehicle’s purpose and the planning horizon, but not a precise reentry date.
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NASA’s 2024 contract announcement also noted that the station had hosted more than 3,300 microgravity experiments. The deorbit mission marks the planned end of the station’s operations, not an abrupt demolition while it is in service.
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Were other deorbit options considered?
NASA says its partners studied options that included using multiple Roscosmos Progress vehicles. NASA ultimately awarded the U.S. vehicle contract to SpaceX. The published information cited here does not provide comparable cost, readiness, or performance figures for the alternatives, so a numerical comparison would be misleading.
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