Dear MEL Topic Readers,
SpaceX to build vehicle that will drag the International Space Station
out of orbit
The International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting the Earth and
hosted over 270 astronauts and researchers since 2001. It maintains an orbit at
around 400 kilometers altitude and circles the Earth every 93 minutes at a
speed of 27,600 kilometers per hour. As the name indicates, it is an
international space station that is operated by the space agencies of the USA,
Russia, Japan, Europe, and Canada. What will happen to the ISS when its prolonged
lifespan ends in 2030? NASA is planning to crash the ISS into the ocean. But
how? The plan is to send a powerful rocket to help push the space station out
of orbit. From there, the rocket and the space station are expected to destructively
breakup and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. Recently, NASA signed a billion-dollar
contract with SpaceX, an aerospace company that has been sending crew members
to the ISS, to develop a vehicle to steer the ISS out of orbit. How many orbits
will the ISS make before its last?
Read the article and learn about what will happen to the ISS at the end
of its lifespan.
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