Can SpaceX Bring Down the ISS? An Upcoming Test Could Be the First Step

NASA is preparing for the status of the International Space Station (ISS) by figuring retired the champion mode to flip it successful the ocean. To that end, the abstraction bureau plans to usage SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft for an upcoming orbital maneuver, perchance paving the mode for a larger mentation that volition deorbit the abstraction presumption successful six years.

SpaceX and NASA volition usage the Dragon spacecraft to boost the ISS portion docked to the abstraction station, firing its engines for 12.5 minutes to somewhat nudge the orbiting laboratory this coming Friday, November 8, NASA officials said during a property league connected Monday, according to Space.com.

The boost volition people a archetypal for Dragon, arsenic it’s ne'er been utilized for this task before. Typically, Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft person been utilized to behaviour the reboost maneuver portion docked to the ISS, but NASA is investigating Dragon’s capableness to propulsion the abstraction presumption retired of its spot arsenic it works to make a deorbiting conveyance for its eventual retirement.

The ISS is acceptable to discontinue successful 2030, and NASA is putting unneurotic a program to deorbit its beloved abstraction presumption and nonstop it flying done Earth’s ambiance wherever astir of it volition pain up from the vigor of reentry. The abstraction agency, on with its planetary partners, considered respective antithetic options earlier yet deciding to telephone connected the backstage industry to plan a spacecraft that volition resistance the abstraction presumption towards its fiery death.

In March, the abstraction bureau released its 2024 fund proposal, which included $180 cardinal for processing a deorbit capableness for the ISS. At the time, NASA had estimated its ISS tug would outgo astir $1 cardinal successful total. NASA had antecedently suggested utilizing Russia’s Progress cargo spacecraft to deorbit the ISS, but increasing tensions with Roscosmos has caused NASA to reconsider. Instead, NASA tasked SpaceX with designing a caller deorbit vehicle arsenic portion of a $843 cardinal contract.

The deorbit conveyance volition beryllium based connected Dragon, which transports unit and cargo to the ISS. During a quality briefing successful July, SpaceX’s manager of Dragon ngo management, Sarah Walker, noted that the Dragon spacecraft volition beryllium outfitted with a caller trunk conception that tin transportation further propellant, arsenic good arsenic engines, avionics, and caller ways of powerfulness procreation specifically acceptable for the task of deorbiting the abstraction station, Space.com reported astatine the time.

“The information that we’re going to cod from this reboost and cognition power objection volition beryllium precise adjuvant … and this information is going to pb to aboriginal capability, chiefly the U.S deorbit vehicle,” Jared Metter, manager of formation reliability astatine SpaceX, told reporters during the property conference, according to Space.com.

Unlike the Dragon that volition beryllium utilized for Friday’s reboost, the deorbit conveyance volition spell down with the ship. SpaceX “will make the deorbit spacecraft, NASA volition instrumentality ownership aft improvement and run it passim its mission,” NASA wrote arsenic portion of its declaration statement with SpaceX. “Along with the abstraction station, it is expected to destructively breakup arsenic portion of the re-entry process.”

The thrust maneuver has to beryllium beardown capable to bring the spacecraft into an elliptical orbit, oregon an oval-shaped path, truthful that it’s decently captured by the atmosphere. This volition guarantee a controlled descent done the ambiance truthful that the remaining fragments of the abstraction presumption extremity up successful a distant country of the Pacific Ocean.

The upcoming trial is the archetypal measurement successful readying the cautious demolition of the abstraction station, and clip for SpaceX to beryllium that it’s got what it takes.