The technology for the USDV, which will dock with the ISS under the control of NASA, has not been disclosed but is likely to be a variant of the Dragon spacecraft carried into orbit via a Falcon 9 launch. It maybe that a version using extra fuel may have to be launched by a Falcon Heavy rocket instead.
The International Space Station (ISS) as seen from the Progress MS-25 spacecraft during its approach. Courtesy: Roscosmos
“Selecting a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operation,” noted Ken Bowersox, NASA associate administrator for space operations.
Disposing of launch space stations in the past either been done either in a controlled or uncontrolled way. The 91 metric ton NASA Skylab space station naturally decayed after its retirement – the Space Shuttle was not ready in time for an orbital reboost – and it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere in 1979, with surviving elements falling onto Australia. The 129.7 metric ton Soviet multi-module Mir space station had a controlled re-entry into the South Pacific on 23 March 2001. Its re-entry was achieved using burns made by an attached Progress cargo craft, Progress M1-5.
As an aside, Airclaims Limited, the previous owners of the Seradata launch and space database (then called SpaceTrak), was appointed as the official loss adjuster should any third party damage be caused by surviving elements of Mir’s re-entry, if, for example, its re-entry had gone off course.
