SpaceX Building NASA Craft To Destroy The International Space Station

NASA plans to destroy the International Space Station by the end of the decade and has contracted SpaceX to help. NASA announced that it awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to design a craft to safely destroy the station.

NASA and the international partners who helped build the football field-sized station want to ensure that when it is time to shut down the aging space station, it is done in a way that ensures it doesn't come crashing down to Earth in an uncontrolled descent that could strike populated areas.

NASA said that the deorbit craft will dock with the space station in 2029 and then help guide it in a controlled reentry before splashing into the ocean in 2030.

"Selecting a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations," said Ken Bowersox, NASA's associate administrator for Space Operations, in a statement. "This decision also supports NASA's plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth."

The space agency did not provide any details about SpaceX's proposed design for the vehicle.