On Wednesday, NASA announced it had selected SpaceX for a contract worth up to $843 million to develop a vehicle for safely deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS). The agreement aims to reduce the risk to populated areas during the deorbiting process.
SpaceX will develop the U.S. deorbit vehicle, which NASA will own and operate throughout its mission. The launch service for the spacecraft will be procured at a later date.
NASA will collaborate with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and State Space Corporation Roscosmos to ensure the safe deorbit of the ISS.
The United States, Japan, Canada, and the participating ESA countries have committed to operating the station through 2030. Russia has committed to continuing ISS operations through at least 2028.
