SpaceX Wins $843M NASA Contract to Safely Retire the International Space Station by 2030
SpaceX has won a major contract to help bring down NASA’s International Space Station (ISS) safely, and the task will happen sooner than expected.
The ISS, built in 1998, was a joint effort between NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada).
Since then, it has served as a unique laboratory for scientific experiments that can’t be done anywhere else, orbiting about 250 miles above the Earth.
NASA described the ISS as “an unprecedented achievement in global human efforts to create and use a research platform in space.”
Although the ISS has been operating for decades, it wasn’t built to last forever. Its operational life is set to end in 2030. After its work is complete, NASA plans to gradually lower the station’s orbit. Over 18 months, the ISS will get closer to Earth in preparation for its final descent.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has secured an $843 million contract to complete this critical mission. A specially designed version of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will attach to the ISS and use its thrusters to guide the station into Earth’s atmosphere.
This modified Dragon vehicle will be much stronger than the standard version, with six times more fuel and four times the thruster power.
As the ISS enters the atmosphere, most of it will burn up into small pieces. However, some of the larger parts are expected to survive and land in a designated “splash zone” in the ocean. NASA hasn’t yet confirmed where this area will be.
Ken Bowersox, an administrator at NASA, explained that choosing a U.S.-built spacecraft for this mission ensures a safe and responsible conclusion to the ISS program.
He also highlighted how this decision supports NASA’s plans for future commercial space stations near Earth.
Bowersox added, “The ISS remains a model for science, exploration, and international partnerships, benefiting all of humanity.”
Even after the ISS retires, work in space will continue. For example, China’s Tiangong space station has been orbiting Earth since 2021, and other nations are planning their own stations.
SpaceX has also secured other NASA contracts, including a $256 million deal for the Dragonfly mission. This mission will explore Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, using a rotorcraft launched by a Falcon Heavy rocket.
The launch is scheduled for July 2028, with the journey to Titan taking six years. The spacecraft is expected to land on Titan in 2034.
These projects show how SpaceX and NASA are shaping the future of space exploration. As the ISS prepares for retirement, new and exciting missions will take its place, continuing humanity’s journey into the stars.
