SpaceX took a major step towards the eventual end of the International Space Station (ISS) last Friday. At 12:50 PM, a Dragon rocket conducted its first-ever "reboost" of the ISS, using its engines to increase the station’s altitude and keep it in orbit a little longer. Traditionally, this task has been handled by other rockets, but now SpaceX is taking over.
This news was originally written by Amber DaSilva, published on jalopnik.com on Wednesday.
This reboost is critical for SpaceX’s larger plan: eventually deorbiting the ISS. In 2030, SpaceX is contracted to guide the station’s final descent. While the Dragon spacecraft won’t be the one to bring it down, the company is developing a new, larger ship designed to do the job. The data from Friday’s test will help design this deorbit vehicle, which will have three times the engines of a regular Dragon rocket.
As we near the ISS’s end, one can only wonder where it will go—perhaps to a better place in the sky.
