SpaceX's Dragon Performs Initial ISS Propulsion Test, Advancing NASA Towards Final Orbit Departure Mission
At 12:50 PM ET today (November 8), NASA and SpaceX watched as the Dragon spacecraft performed its capacity to increase the International Space Station's altitude, as stated in an official agency communique. Utilizing its Draco engines, Dragon lifted the station's orbit, raising it by 370 feet (113 meters) at its peak and 3,700 feet (1,128 meters) at its minimum. The whole procedure took roughly 12 minutes and 30 seconds, showcasing Dragon's aptitude to reposition the ISS whenever necessary.
This post has been updated to include the details about the test; the original article follows.
NASA is planning for the ISS's retirement by exploring the best method to dump it into the ocean. To accomplish this, the space agency intends to use SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft for an upcoming orbital maneuver, possibly laying the groundwork for a larger version that will deorbit the space station in six years.
SpaceX and NASA will employ the Dragon spacecraft to boost the ISS while docked to the space station, firing its engines for 12.5 minutes to slightly change the orbiting lab's trajectory on November 8, as announced by NASA officers during a press conference on Monday, according to Space.com.
This boost will represent a first for Dragon, as it has never been utilized for such a task before. Normally, Russia's Soyuz spacecraft are responsible for carrying out the reboost maneuver while docked to the ISS, but NASA is investigating Dragon's ability to displace the space station from its position as it works on developing a deorbiting vehicle for the ISS's eventual retirement.
The ISS is due for retirement in 2030, and NASA is drafting a plan to deorbit the beloved space station and send it hurtling through Earth's atmosphere, where most of it will burn up from the heat of reentry. The space agency, along with its international partners, weighed various alternatives before ultimately deciding to enlist private industry to construct a spacecraft that would guide the space station towards its fiery demise.
In March, the space agency released its 2024 budget plan, which included $180 million for developing a deorbiting capability for the ISS. At the time, NASA predicted its ISS tug would cost around $1 billion in total. NASA had previously suggested using Russia's Progress cargo spacecraft for deorbiting the ISS, but tensions with Roscosmos have caused NASA to reconsider. Instead, NASA delegated the task of designing a new deorbit vehicle to SpaceX as part of a $843 million contract.
The deorbit vehicle will be based on Dragon, which carries crew and cargo to the ISS. During a news briefing in July, SpaceX's director of Dragon mission management, Sarah Walker, noted that the Dragon spacecraft would be fitted with a new trunk section capable of carrying additional propellant, along with engines, avionics, and a new power generation system specifically engineered for the task of deorbiting the space station, according to Space.com at the time.
“The data that we’ll collect from this reboost and attitude control demonstration will be very helpful ... and this data will inform future capabilities, mainly the U.S deorbit vehicle,” Jared Metter, director of flight reliability at SpaceX, told reporters during the press conference, according to Space.com.
Unlike the Dragon that will be used for Friday's reboost, the deorbit vehicle will accompany the spacecraft to its end. SpaceX “will develop the deorbit spacecraft, NASA will assume ownership after development and operate it throughout its mission,” NASA stated as part of its contract agreement with SpaceX. “Along with the space station, it is expected to destructively break up as part of the re-entry process.”
The force required to push the spacecraft into an elliptical orbit, or an oval-shaped path, is sufficient to ensure it is properly captured by the atmosphere. This will ensure a controlled descent through the atmosphere so that the remaining fragments of the space station fall into a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.
The upcoming test marks the first step in planning the careful demolition of the space station, and a chance for SpaceX to demonstrate its abilities.
The exploration of using SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft for the ISS's orbital maneuvers signals a potential future in space science and technology, as NASA looks to retire the ISS and deorbit it using private industry's capabilities. This test with Dragon could pave the way for a larger version to deorbit the space station in six years, further showcasing the advancements in space technology.
