Early in the 2030s, the International Space Station (ISS) is expected to be decommissioned, bringing an end to an era of space exploration. The ISS, a symbol of global cooperation in space, will be replaced by a new Dragon spacecraft developed by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. NASA and SpaceX announced on July 17 that the new Dragon spacecraft will have enough power to safely deorbit the ISS, guiding it into a controlled descent into the South Pacific Ocean, likely in 2031.
With a trunk that is much more powerful than the present models and 46 Draco engines, the Dragon spacecraft will be able to deorbit the International Space Station. In comparison to the current Dragon spacecraft, which supplies the International Space Station (ISS), this upgraded model will have six times the propellant capacity and four times the power output. Following the decommissioning of the ISS, NASA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, will move to new space stations.
SpaceX is improving their Dragon spaceship for this task.
Rather than continuing with the current configuration of five multinational space organizations, NASA intends to move to smaller, privately-owned space stations closer to Earth. SpaceX is improving their Dragon spaceship to tackle this enormous task of developing the deorbit vehicle after being chosen to build it. With 46 Draco engines instead of the current Dragon’s 16 engines, the new vessel will have a powerful trunk. In order to steer the International Space Station (ISS) on a precise trajectory away from inhabited areas, the spacecraft must carry six times as much propellant and generate four times as much power as before.
It will be possible to carry out the ISS deorbit mission by modifying the present Dragon spacecraft, which has the capacity to carry seven passengers and a sizable amount of cargo. By doubling its length over the existing model, these improvements will give the new Dragon the thrust and control it needs to descend safely. Having hosted more than 3,000 experiments by scientists in more than 100 nations, the International Space Station (ISS) has been a key component of scientific breakthrough. Understanding the long-term impacts of space flight on the human body has been made possible by it, and it has advanced a number of sciences, including biology, physics, and materials science.
Space cooperation is about to undergo a dramatic transformation.
Innovations like the creation of novel materials and the understanding of basic physical processes have been made feasible by the station’s special microgravity environment, which would not have been feasible on Earth. Additionally, by bringing together NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA to maintain and run the station, the ISS has promoted international cooperation. Space cooperation is about to undergo a dramatic transformation as the International Space Station gets closer to being decommissioned. Moving closer to Earth, NASA and Roscosmos intend to switch to smaller, privately-owned space stations.
Also, Space research and operations should become more flexible and less expensive as a result of this change. But it also makes one wonder about the Sustainability of global alliances and the degree of scientific cooperation that can be sustained. An expanded involvement for private businesses such as SpaceX may result in more innovative uses of common space resources, but it may also present new issues. Important SpaceX and NASA stakeholders are optimistic about these developments.
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“Cargo Dragon was the first commercial vehicle to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) in 2012, and if everything goes as planned, the new Dragon spacecraft will be the last vehicle to dock with the station ever,” stated Sarah Walker, SpaceX’s director of Dragon mission management. Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, stated, “This collaboration with SpaceX marks a new era in space exploration, ensuring that we continue to lead in space while fostering new opportunities for private industry.”