NASA announced Thursday (27/06) that it has selected SpaceX to build a vehicle capable of pulling the International Space Station back into Earth ‘s atmosphere  so that it can be destroyed after it completes its functions in 2030.

The competition, run by billionaire Elon Musk’s company, has a total value that could reach up to 843 million dollars (789.3 million euros), according to an envoy from the US space agency .

NASA announced last year its intention to deepen the International Space Station (ISS) over an ocean, after its end of life. Some pieces will disintegrate during the maneuver, while others, more resistant, will fall into the sea.

But this operation requires the development of a vehicle powerful enough to maneuver the ISS, which weighs around 430,000 kilograms . The vehicle to be developed by SpaceX should allow “deorbiting the Space Station and avoiding any risks to inhabited areas”, NASA said.

NASA demands that the vehicle disintegrate upon re-entry into Earth

Just like the ISS, the vehicle that will pull it is also expected to disintegrate upon re-entering the Earth ‘s atmosphere . The vehicle, once completed, will belong to NASA, which will be responsible for operating it during the mission.

The United States, Japan, Canada and the Europeans have committed to continuing ISS operations until 2030, while Russia has done so, for now, until 2028. “Safely removing the International Space Station from trajectory is a responsibility of the five space agencies”, wrote NASA, this Wednesday. Despite the war in Ukraine, the ISS remains one of the rare areas of cooperation between Washington and Moscow.