All articles tagged with #deorbiting
The International Space Station will be deorbited in late 2030 over Point Nemo in the South Pacific, marking the end of its 25-year mission, with debris expected to mostly burn up during reentry, similar to past space station deorbitings.
NASA is planning to deorbit and land the International Space Station in the ocean by 2030, and private companies have until February 12 to submit design proposals for a spacecraft to carry out this task. After the ISS's retirement, NASA aims to shift its focus to commercial space operations and deep space missions, including human missions to the moon and Mars. The agency's Artemis moon mission has been delayed to 2025, with the first American attempt to land a commercial spacecraft on the lunar surface also facing setbacks.
NASA plans to develop a new spacecraft to safely guide the International Space Station (ISS) during its final reentry through Earth's atmosphere. The agency aims to retire the ISS by 2030 and use privately developed space laboratories for future space research needs. NASA has released a request for proposals to build the new spacecraft, called the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle (USDV). The targeted landing spot for the ISS is Point Nemo in the South Pacific Ocean, where most equipment is expected to burn up or vaporize during reentry.
China's Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft successfully completed its tasks and undocked from the Tiangong space station before being intentionally deorbited over the South Pacific. The spacecraft, which set a new world record for rendezvous and docking with a space station, carried supplies, experiments, and propellant. While most of the spacecraft likely burned up during reentry, some components may have survived and fallen into the ocean. China plans to launch Tianzhou spacecraft every eight months to maintain a constant presence at the Tiangong space station for at least 10 years.
China's Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft, which set a new world record for rendezvous and docking with a space station, has completed its tasks and been intentionally deorbited over the South Pacific. The majority of the spacecraft likely burned up during reentry, with some components falling into the ocean. This was the fourth supply mission to China's Tiangong space station, and China plans to launch Tianzhou spacecraft every eight months to keep the station occupied for at least 10 years.
Some in the space industry argue that NASA's plan to spend up to $1 billion on a tug to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) is a missed opportunity to instead repurpose or recycle the station. They suggest that instead of letting it burn up and lose all of its economic value, the station could be taken to a foundry in space and broken down into raw materials. However, NASA has not discussed any consideration of repurposing elements of the ISS before the station is deorbited.