NASA wants to build a $1bn space tug to take the ISS out of orbit and into the ocean
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is planning a "controlled demolition" of the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of the decade. The space agency wants to build a tug for this purpose.
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The White House has requested $27.2 billion from the US Congress for NASA for fiscal year 2024. $180 million of this amount will be used to develop the space tug. With its help, the federal agency will safely remove the ISS from orbit and send it into the ocean. This will happen in 2030.
At the moment, they want to remove the station from orbit with the help of Russian spacecraft. However, NASA wants an alternative method, which is to use a tug. The total cost of such a tool would be almost $1 billion.
The space agency also talked a little about its other projects. In particular, NASA wants $30 million for the ExoMars life-hunting program and $8.1 billion to continue the Artemis lunar program.
NASA will allocate part of the $8.1 billion for the Artemis II and Artemis III missions, which are scheduled for 2024 and 2025, respectively. The agency also hopes to have an inhabited outpost on the moon by the end of this decade.
Source: space
