NASA has awarded SpaceX an $843 million contract to develop a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, aimed at safely guiding the aging International Space Station (ISS) back through Earth’s atmosphere for a controlled reentry into the Pacific Ocean by 2030.

The ISS, a symbol of international cooperation and a football field-sized flying laboratory, has been continuously occupied for over 23 years.

Alongside China’s Tiangong Space Station, it is one of only two operational space stations in low Earth orbit.

SpaceX’s U.S. Deorbit Vehicle will be used to ensure the ISS’s safe descent, avoiding populated areas. NASA will take ownership and operate this spacecraft, Israel Hayom has reported.

Some parts of the ISS may survive reentry and are planned to be directed toward Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean, far from land.

Written by B.C. Begley