SpaceX Is Building A New Rocket To Destroy The International Space Station
The International Space Station has been a global success since its components first were put into orbit around the Earth in 1978. A multitude of missions that at times include U.S. astronauts, Russian cosmonauts, and others in the space station at the same time and sometimes arriving in the same space have occurred. A rocket being adapted by Elon Musk’s SpaceX could change all of that.
The SpaceX Dragon
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is being adapted to make it possible to disassemble the International Space Station which has become obsolete and is nearly ready for abandonment.
The station has been continually crewed since it became fully operational in 2000. But the space station is showing its age in terms of technology and general wear and tear.
NASA engineers and scientists say the International Space Station is too large to return to Earth. Re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere most assuredly would destroy it, NASA says.
It also is too big to send into an orbit where it’s out of the way of future missions and simply could orbit the Earth as a kind of space ghost ship.
A 2031 Joint Mission
SpaceX engineers are busy doing what NASA engineers and others so far haven’t. They are working on a way to enable the space station to safely leave its orbit around Earth.
The initial thinking is to convert a current SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft by adding a much larger trunk into which disassembled sections of the International Space Station could fit for a safe return to Earth.
NASA and SpaceX officials on July 17 jointly announced a tentative mission in early 2031 using a modified Cargo Dragon spacecraft to de-orbit the International Space Station.
The modified Cargo Dragon would use 46 Draco engines in total to complete the de-orbiting mission with between 22 and 26 firing at once to provide plenty of thrust. A typical Cargo Dragon uses up to 16 Draco engines, but the new trunk would contain 30 more.
Propellant
Draco rocket engines have nee used for nearly 15 years and are proven to be very reliable. SpaceX would use about 35,000 pounds of rocket propellant to create sufficient boost from the additional Draco engines to enable the modified Cargo Dragon to complete its mission. That amount of propellant is six times more than a typical Cargo Dragon would use.
Space Station Removal
NASA has commissioned SpaceX to build the modified Cargo Dragon to enable removal of the space station from its current orbit. The space agency has not tasked SpaceX with building a launch system capable of putting the oversized Cargo Dragon into space, though.
Instead, SpaceX normally uses its Falcon 9 rocket to put its Cargo Dragon into space, but the modified version would be too heavy.
Other Options
Instead, NASA officials will consider several options, including the Falcon Heavy rocket built by SpaceX. Other options could include a new United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket, which first launched at the beginning of the year.
Another option is the New Glenn rocket that maker Blue Origin intends to send on its maiden voyage in September. Once NASA determines the proper propulsion system, the mission planning can begin to remove the International Space Station from its Earthly orbit.
Source: Scientific American
