NASA gave SpaceX a $843 million contract to bring down the station — the biggest structure ever built off the planet.
This image provided by SpaceX shows an artistic rendering of the powerful capsule that will be used, once developed, to bring the International Space Station down through the atmosphere in January 2031. NASA and Elon Musk’s company on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, outlined the plan to burn the space station up on reentry and plunge what’s left into the ocean, ideally at the beginning of 2031 when it hits the 32-year mark.
NASA and Elon Musk’s company on Wednesday outlined the plan to burn the space station up on reentry and plunge what’s left into the ocean, ideally at the beginning of 2031 when it hits the 32-year mark. The space agency rejected other options, like taking the station apart and bringing everything home or handing the keys to someone else.Why get rid of the space station?
The space station is already is showing signs of age. Russia and the U.S. launched the first pieces in late 1998, and astronauts moved in two years later. Europe and Japan added their own segments, and Canada provided robotic arms. By the time NASA’s shuttles retired in 2011, the station had grown to the size of a football field, with a mass of nearly 1 million pounds . NASA figures the station will last until at least 2030.
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NASA taps SpaceX to bring International Space Station out of orbit in a few more yearsNASA has awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to build the vehicle that will bring the International Space Station out of its longtime orbit of Earth when its operating lifespan ends in a few more years.
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NASA taps SpaceX to bring International Space Station out of orbit in a few more yearsNASA has awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to build the vehicle that will bring the International Space Station out of its longtime orbit of Earth when its operating lifespan ends in a few more years.
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How NASA and SpaceX will bring down the space station when it's retiredSpaceX will use a powerful, souped-up capsule to shove the International Space Station out of orbit once time is up for the sprawling lab. NASA and SpaceX on Wednesday outlined the plan to burn the space station up on reentry. They're aiming for January 2031 when the station hits the 32-year mark.
Read more »
How NASA and SpaceX will bring down the space station when it's retiredSpaceX will use a powerful, souped-up capsule to shove the International Space Station out of orbit once time is up for the sprawling lab.
Read more »
How NASA and SpaceX will bring down the space station when it's retiredSpaceX will use a powerful, souped-up capsule to shove the International Space Station out of orbit once time is up for the sprawling lab.
Read more »
How NASA and SpaceX will bring down the space station when it's retiredSpaceX will use a powerful, souped-up capsule to shove the International Space Station out of orbit once time is up for the sprawling lab.
Read more »