NASA and SpaceX’s Plans to Deorbit and Dismantle the ISS

NASA has shared details about its plan to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) after it is decommissioned in 2030. During a press conference, NASA explained that the US Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), which is being built by SpaceX, will be used for this task.

The ISS, one of the most ambitious and costly space engineering projects, has operated for 24 years, providing scientific advancements, generating controversy, and becoming a focal point of geopolitical tensions it was meant to alleviate.

The Challenge of Decommissioning the ISS

Today, the 15 partner nations operating the orbital station are confronted with the challenge of what to do with it when it is retired in 2030. Some propose preserving or salvaging it for other missions, but the reality is that 30 years in orbit have left the ISS in a deteriorated state.

Many components are worn out or obsolete, and the structural elements suffer from severe thermal, torsional, and tidal fatigue. Even if refurbishment were possible, it would require a non-existent dry dock.

Moreover, nearly three decades of habitation have left many of the station’s habitat modules in poor condition.

The ISS cannot remain in its current orbit of approximately 250 miles (400 km) because it is too unstable and constantly decaying. Boosting it to a higher orbit is impractical due to the enormous energy required, the absence of an adequate thruster system, and doubts about its structural integrity during such a maneuver.

The Plan for Controlled Reentry

Therefore, a controlled reentry into Earth’s atmosphere is planned to allow the station to burn up, with any remaining debris falling into a remote, uninhabited area of the South Pacific. This strategy has been understood since the early days of the program.

Initially, the plan was to use three Russian Progress cargo spacecraft for this task, but deteriorating US-Russia relations and technical issues have made this option unfeasible.

A New Deorbit Strategy with SpaceX’s USDV

The new plan involves using a specially designed USDV spacecraft from SpaceX to perform the deorbit. This task is complex; it’s not just about applying brakes to bring the ISS out of orbit. Orbital mechanics require maintaining a circular orbit with carefully controlled parameters, necessitating a highly precise deorbit device.

With only a few years remaining before deorbiting, NASA and SpaceX have decided to expedite development by using existing designs, technologies, and off-the-shelf components. Time is especially limited as NASA aims to have the USDV docked with the ISS 18 months before the final reentry.

The USDV is essentially a modified Dragon capsule with an enhanced service module featuring six times the propellant and up to four times the thrust of the standard version.

The plan is to let the ISS naturally lower its altitude as its orbit decays over a few years, with the USDV making periodic course corrections to maintain the desired trajectory. In the station’s final week, the USDV will conduct a series of burns to initiate the final reentry.

After the ISS is decommissioned, US policy will shift to purchasing time and space on the next generation of commercial outposts currently being developed by various companies. If these outposts are delayed, the USDV can also be used to extend the station’s life, preventing a gap in space station availability in the next decade.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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