A satellite image shows an overview of the International Space Station with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, June 7, 2024.
NASA will have a spacecraft from Elon Musk's SpaceX guide the International Space Station's destruction later this decade, the agency announced Wednesday.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration awarded an $843 million contract to SpaceX to build the so-called "U.S. Deorbit Vehicle."
The spacecraft will be designed to guide the football-field-sized research laboratory back into the Earth's atmosphere after retiring in 2030.
"It is crucial to prepare for the safe and responsible deorbit of the International Space Station in a controlled manner," NASA said in a press release, with the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle needed to "ensure avoidance of risk to populated areas."
Organizations:
International, Boeing, NASA, Elon, SpaceX, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Deorbit, International Space, U.S . Deorbit