NASA is analyzing a new hypothetical option to decommission the International Space Station (ISS) by 2030: using a special “space tug” that it would develop and put into operation in the coming years.
This tug would deorbit the ISS, after which it would burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere—specifically, in an area known as Point Nemo. The catch is that such a solution would definitely not be cheap.
Kathy Lueders from NASA she revealedthat the total cost was tentatively estimated at around $1 billion.
Will the Russians help?
According to the current plan, the existing Russian Progress spacecraft should be used for the purpose of disposing of the ISS, so the Americans would not need a tug of their own.
“We are constantly working with our Russian counterparts on how to safely deorbit with Progress ships,” she confirmed Lueders at a recent press conference.
As a result of the invasion of Ukraine, however, diplomatic relations between the USA and Russia have deteriorated dramatically, so it is necessary to count on the possibility that Roscosmos will eventually change its mind on this matter.
