The contract is an excellent opportunity for SpaceX, as the contract is valued at as much as $843 million.
SpaceX, also known as Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, is an American spacecraft manufacturer founded in 2002 by Elon Musk. The company is more than a spacecraft manufacturer; it is also a service provider and a satellite communication source. This can only be possible through their Starlink mission, which aims to create a world where you can access the internet anywhere. Even more so, the Startlink Mission became 2020's largest satellite constellation, formed out of more than 6,000 satellites.
The company aims to make space transportation possible at lower costs, leading to the developing of a sustainable colony on Mars. SpaceX now operates and produces Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy Rockets and the Dragon and Starship spacecraft.
ISS, also known as the International Space Station, has been in orbit for nearly 25 years, coming close to its operational life, needing to be safely disposed of by the end of 2030. And this is where SpaceX comes in.
However, the spacecraft used for this mission will differ from SpaceX’s Dragon capsules. SpaceX uses those capsules to deliver cargo and crew members for the Nasa De-orbit mission being built new spacecraft.
It is also worth mentioning that NASA will have complete ownership over the Deorbit Vehicle after its development, and it will be possible to operate it while the mission is ongoing.
SpaceX's mission is to ensure that when the ISS and the retrieving spacecraft reenter the atmosphere, areas that are not populated will be affected. Even more so, when reentering the atmosphere, both ships will disintegrate.
NASA’s need for a new de-orbit spacecraft comes after the experts and NASA’s team have evaluated the Russian Roscosmos Progress spacecraft. The safety of the ISS is divided among five agencies: NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the State Space Corporation Roscosmos, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
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