The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) is all set to dismantle the International Space Station (ISS), replacing it with SpaceX’s Axiom.
The Elon Musk-led company is playing a major part in bringing down the ISS as it will deliver the coup de grace with its US Deorbit Vehicle expectedly in 2030.
This will happen after the departure of the astronauts who will remain at the ISS till the station’s orbit decays.
Following this, the space station will transition from its current orbit, approximately 250 miles above Earth, to a lower orbit of around 136 miles in its last 12 to 18 months.
SpaceX has received an $843 million contract from Nasa to look after the ISS’s controlled descent.
The space agency will use a special spacecraft based on their Dragon model and will ensure that the ISS’s debris lands in the ocean rather than in populated areas.
On the contrary, Axiom Space is also an integral part of the plan to bring down the ISS.
It will start in 2026 and will launch four new parts to attach to the ISS. Prior to the end of the ISS, Axiom will be turned into a new private space station.
