Elon Musk to the rescue once again
SpaceX is working on a $843 million spacecraft designed to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of the decade. This new vehicle will be a powerful version of the Dragon capsule, which is currently used to transport astronauts and cargo to orbit. NASA awarded SpaceX the contract to develop the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) last month, selecting it over Northrop Grumman due to the design’s reliance on proven flight hardware.
NASA’s ISS program manager, Dana Weigel, emphasized the importance of using flight heritage for reliability. Despite incorporating the Dragon architecture, about half of the USDV will be new, and all deorbit functions will be unique to this spacecraft. The USDV’s main task will be to perform critical burns in the ISS’s final week, launching around 18 months before these operations. It will dock at the ISS and stay until the station begins its descent to Earth. The crew will stay aboard as long as possible, departing about six months before reentry.
the very first look of @SpaceX spacecraft vehicle that will deorbit the ISS. pic.twitter.com/x211X8kXjg
— Mayungu (@Adastra_Mayungu) July 17, 2024
Once the ISS reaches approximately 220 kilometers above Earth, the USDV will execute a series of burns to set the station on a precise deorbit path over four days, culminating in a final reentry burn. Any remaining debris will fall into an uninhabited ocean area. This method mirrors the disposal of other large spacecraft like Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus or Japan’s HTV cargo capsule.
SpaceX will develop a spacecraft powerful enough to handle the ISS through increasing atmospheric drag. Sarah Walker, SpaceX’s director of Dragon mission management, highlighted the complexity of the final burn, which must guide the entire station while countering atmospheric forces to ensure it lands in the intended location.
The spacecraft will feature six times the usable propellant and three to four times the power generation and storage of current Dragon capsules. A render released by SpaceX shows a Dragon capsule with a large trunk, which will house extra propellant, power generation, and avionics, including 30 additional Draco thrusters. This design aims to minimize the debris footprint, although some debris, ranging from microwave-sized to small car-sized, is expected.
NASA and its partners – Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency – decided to seek a deorbit vehicle from private industry after determining that Roscosmos’s capabilities were insufficient for the ISS’s size. NASA released a request for proposals last fall.
ISS could ‘drift down’ for a year before SpaceX vehicle destroys it in Earth’s atmosphere https://t.co/rR8si1z99g
— Space Invader👽🇺🇸 (@Area51Field) July 17, 2024
The contract, different from SpaceX’s usual service-based agreements with NASA, will see SpaceX design and deliver the vehicle to NASA. NASA will then be responsible for procuring the launch, operating the spacecraft, and deorbiting the ISS. The agency will begin the rocket procurement process about three years before the launch. If ISS operations end in 2030, the station would likely splash down the following year.
NASA aims to ensure an overlap with commercial space station providers in low Earth orbit, though various factors could disrupt a seamless transition. These include development schedules of commercial companies like Axiom Space, Voyager Space’s Starlab, and the Blue Origin and Sierra Space venture Orbital Reef. NASA is authorized to operate the ISS through 2030, but beyond that, it would need government approval and cooperation from partner space agencies.
Key Points:
- SpaceX is developing a $843 million spacecraft to deorbit the ISS by the end of the decade.
- The U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) will be an advanced version of the Dragon capsule, incorporating new deorbit functions.
- The USDV will perform critical burns to guide the ISS into a precise deorbit path, with remaining debris falling into an uninhabited ocean area.
- The spacecraft will have significantly increased propellant and power capabilities, featuring 30 additional Draco thrusters.
- NASA and its international partners are planning a seamless transition to commercial space stations, with ISS operations authorized through 2030.
D. Stanton Kellogg – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
