NASA will pay US$843 million to SpaceX to build the spacecraft that will ‘retire’ the International Space Station after 2030

The NASA announced on Wednesday that it has selected aerospace manufacturer SpaceX to build a ship that will carry the International Space Station (ISS) back into the Earth’s atmosphere and to its final resting place in the Pacific Ocean following its retirement in 2030.

The company, owned by tycoon Elon Musk, thus won a contract with a potential value of $843 million to develop and deliver the aircraft, dubbed the “US Deorbit Vehicle.”

“The selection of a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition into low Earth orbit at the end of Station operations” said Ken Bowersox, an official with the US space agency, in a statement.

NASA plans to take ownership of the spacecraft after SpaceX builds it, and control operations throughout the mission.

Weighing 430,000 kilograms, the ISS is by far the largest single structure ever built in space.

Based on previous observations of how other stations such as Mir and Skylab disintegrated upon atmospheric re-entry, NASA engineers expect the orbital outpost to decompose in three stages.

Much of the material will vaporize, but large chunks are expected to survive. That’s why NASA is targeting an area in the Pacific Ocean called Point Nemo, one of the most remote areas in the world and known as a “graveyard” for satellites and spacecraft.

The first segment of the ISS was launched in 1998 and has been continuously inhabited by an international crew since 2001.

United States, Japan, Canada and participating countries of the European Space Agency (ESA) have committed to operating the microgravity laboratory until 2030, although Russia, the fifth partner, has only committed until 2028.

Several companies are working on commercial successors to the ISS, including billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Axiom Space and Blue Origin.