NASA Selects SpaceX for ISS Deorbit Vehicle Contract

NASA has officially selected SpaceX to develop and deliver the deorbit vehicle that will bring the International Space Station’s landmark mission to a close in 2030.

The decision marks the start of a carefully choreographed transition from more than two decades of multinational science to a new phase of commercial platforms in low-Earth orbit.

The agency’s announcement follows years of industry analysis and debate, culminating in a competition that positions SpaceX at the center of the ISS’s controlled reentry plan.

By ensuring the station’s descent is guided and safe, NASA aims to address public and global concerns about the risks of orbital debris.

Why did NASA pick SpaceX for the ISS deorbit?

NASA awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract in June 2024 to design and build a specialty vehicle capable of guiding the 420-ton space station into a safe reentry corridor over the South Pacific.

The agency cited SpaceX’s successful track record in human spaceflight and the company’s expertise in precision orbital operations for the selection.

SpaceX has previously delivered astronauts and cargo to the ISS on more than 30 missions, demonstrating robust launch and recovery protocols.

This reliability made the company the leading candidate for the unprecedented task, surpassing other commercial competitors and asserting US industry leadership.

Did you know?
The ISS has traveled over three billion kilometers around Earth since 1998.

How will the ISS be safely deorbited?

The planned deorbit operation involves attaching the new vehicle to the ISS and gradually lowering the station’s altitude. The descent will be closely monitored to ensure it breaks up over an uninhabited stretch of the southern Pacific, minimizing risks to people and property on Earth.

NASA engineers and international partners have conducted a detailed analysis to determine the most effective and safest reentry path.

The process involves modular detachment, slowing the station, and targeting a remote ocean area, sometimes referred to as the spacecraft cemetery, where previous space debris has landed safely.

What is the plan for commercial replacements?

NASA is investing up to $1.5 billion in at least two commercial space station projects to advance research in low-Earth orbit. Companies like Axiom Space, Blue Origin, Starlab, and VAST have emerged as top contenders, each pledging to fill the gap left by the ISS with innovative modular platforms.

Axiom Space will launch its first module as early as 2026, initially attaching it to the ISS before forming an independent facility.

Meanwhile, Blue Origin and other firms race to debut their own stations, all seeking to meet NASA’s requirements for supporting four crew for at least 30 days per mission.

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Could there be a gap in human presence in space?

Experts caution that new commercial stations may not be ready for full-scale operations the moment the ISS retires. Even with aggressive development schedules, delays are possible, raising the specter of a hiatus in US-led continuous presence in low-Earth orbit after more than 25 years.

China’s Tiangong space station, which has maintained a three-person crew for the past four years, could become the only permanently occupied orbital research facility if other replacements encounter setbacks.

This geopolitical dimension has amplified NASA’s urgency to accelerate commercial transition plans.

How are current ISS operations continuing?

As the transition approaches, the Expedition 73 crew has remained focused on ongoing research, despite administrative hurdles such as the U.S. government shutdown.

Investigations in microgravity manufacturing, fluid dynamics, and biomedical research proceed on board, while international teams monitor the station’s health.

The ISS has been continuously occupied for nearly 25 years, providing an uninterrupted platform for over 4,000 experiments and yielding more than 4,400 research publications.

Crew members will continue this legacy up until the final year of operations. Looking ahead, NASA’s move to conclude the ISS era is seen as both an end and a new beginning.

As commercial ventures take up the torch of orbital research, the groundwork laid by the ISS may catalyze even broader participation in space science, pushing humanity into a more dynamic era where government and industry collaborate to keep low-Earth orbit within human reach.