NASA is seeking more "space tug" proposals from the US industry for the deorbiting of the International Space Station by early 2030s.
NASA Seeks More "Space Tug" Proposals for ISS Deorbit
NASA plans to utilize a US Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) for safely steering the ISS into the atmosphere of the Earth. In the past, the vehicle has been referred to by White House officials as a "space tug." USDV proposals can be submitted until November 17.
NASA allows vendors to give inputs regarding the vehicle's design and payment type. When the ISS program ends, the station will be deorbited in a manner that is controlled in order to avoid areas that are populated. NASA adds that a Russian Progress cargo, which is typically used for periodically boosting the orbit of the ISS, will not be enough to do the job. Hence, they need a new spacecraft that can offer a better and more responsible deorbiting process.
While the USDV will work on deorbiting the ISS' US segment, NASA did not offer details regarding how other global partners would deorbit their own sections. NASA explains that the contributions of partners are based on a mass percent ownership according to agency, adding that the deorbit of the ISS should be a shared responsibility.
NASA adds that the USDV will be a new design or existing spacecraft modification that should be able to work on the first flight and have enough redundancy and anomaly recovery ability. It may take years for the USDV to be developed, tested, and certified.
International Space Station Program's Partners
Other main ISS partners include the Roscosmos of Russia, the European Space Agency, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. Aside from the CSA, each partner has one or more modules on the ISS. The CSA, on the other hand, has robotics.
Aside from Roscosmos, other partner agencies have decided to stay with NASA in the ISS until the year 2030. Roscosmos is set to withdraw on or before the year 2028 to embark on its independent plants to explore space. Space collaborations with Russia were mostly cut after the country invaded Ukraine in February last year. However, in the meantime, ISS relations are normal.
If things go according to plan, after the ISS program ends, commercial research and flights will carry on in space stations led by certain industries. These are now in their early development stages.
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