The International Space Station (ISS), a football stadium-sized laboratory orbiting Earth every 90 minutes, will soon be decommissioned.
To prevent it from becoming space junk, NASA plans to remove the aging ISS from orbit by 2030.
NASA has awarded SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, a contract worth Rs 7,036 crore to handle this task. SpaceX will construct the United States Orbit Vehicle (USDV), which will function like a tugboat, guiding the ISS to a controlled deorbit.
The USDV will gradually lower the ISS from its 400 km orbit to a designated remote area known as 'Point Nemo' in the Pacific Ocean. Point Nemo is at least 2,500 kilometers from any land to ensure safety.
The ISS, weighing 430 tonnes, has been a platform for thousands of experiments since its construction began in 1998, with components added in 2000.
Managed by the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, and other countries, the ISS has been a crucial site for scientific research. Russia has announced it will cease its involvement in 2028.
By the end of its mission, the ISS will be safely dismantled in a manner that protects both Earth and space from debris.
