SpaceX Is Building a Spacecraft to Destroy the International Space Station. It’s Four Times More Powerful Than the Dragon

NASA has commissioned SpaceX to build a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) to destroy the International Space Station (ISS). The company has published the first image of the vehicle on its X account, where we can see that it’s a supersized version of the Dragon spacecraft.

Four times more powerful. The USDV’s design is inspired by the spacecraft SpaceX uses to transport cargo and astronauts to the ISS. The main difference is that it’ll have a large service module in place of the trunk, which will house multiple fuel tanks and additional engines.

According to SpaceX, the USDV will have six times more fuel capacity and four times more power than the current Dragon model. The fuel and oxidizer will weigh over 10 tons, requiring the use of a Falcon Heavy rocket for its launch.

SpaceX received an $843 million contract from NASA to develop the USDV, but the space agency hasn’t yet arranged the vehicle’s launch. Many expect the super-sized Dragon to launch into orbit using a SpaceX rocket.

How will it destroy the ISS? The ISS is set to be abandoned in 2030, but its destruction will be gradual. NASA plans to allow the station to fall out of orbit over 12 to 18 months until it reaches an altitude of about 136 miles.

Astronauts will continue to maintain the station until six months before its designated destruction date. At that point, SpaceX’s NASA-operated de-orbit vehicle will dock at one of its ports and propel it to re-enter the atmosphere safely.

While NASA hasn’t disclosed the exact location of the re-entry, it’s likely to occur at Point Nemo, the Pacific Ocean site farthest from land, which serves as a spacecraft graveyard.

Why destroy the ISS? Since its launch in 1998, the ISS has been a symbol of international cooperation. Because of the microgravity on the space station, it has enabled scientific and technological advances, benefiting humanity in multiple ways.

However, the ISS is showing signs of aging and wear, and there’s a growing risk of impact with space debris. Despite this, its retirement will pave the way for a new era of commercial space stations.

The ISS has a mass of 420 tons and travels at a speed of 17,900 mph. Due to its mass and speed, experts don’t expect it to completely disintegrate upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. Therefore, NASA and its ISS partners (Europe, Canada, Japan, and Russia) can’t allow it to re-enter unchecked.

This article was written by Matías S. Zavia and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Image | SpaceX

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