NASA Wants $180M for a ‘Space Tug’ to Deorbit the International Space Station

NASA expects to spend nearly $1 billion on a craft to deorbit the International Space Station at the end of the decade.

As part of its $27.2 billion 2024 budget proposal—a 7% increase over fiscal year 2023—the National Aeronautics and Space Administration requested an initial $180 million for a “space tug” that will drag the ISS back into Earth’s orbit.

“The International Space Station will need to be safely deorbited at the end of its operational life as the United States transitions to lower-cost commercial space stations,” according to NASA’s section in the Budget report(Opens in a new window). “Rather than relying on Russian systems that may not be able to accomplish this task, the budget provides $180 million to initiate development of a new space tug that may also be useful for other space transportation missions.”

NASA in August issued a notice(Opens in a new window) to “gauge industry’s capabilities to provide deorbit capabilities” so as to perform final ISS reentry maneuvers, including pushing the station into Earth’s atmosphere to break up over the South Pacific Ocean. The vehicle should attach to the ISS at least one year prior to its planned reentry, which is currently scheduled for 2031.

The $180 million request “gives us a healthy start” on the project, Kathy Lueders, NASA associate administrator for space operations, said in a media teleconference, as reported by SpaceNews(Opens in a new window). The exact amount, which the agency estimates is “a little bit short of about $1 billion,” will depend on industry proposals. “We’re hoping to get a better price than that,” Lueders said.

A tug is just one of the many NASA projects considered in President Biden’s 2024 budget, which includes funding for the Artemis program’s rockets, crew vehicle, lunar landers, space suits, etc. It also offers support for Mars exploration, green aviation innovation, and further-reaching STEM programming; addresses orbital debris; and promises to invest in technological advancements.