The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to decommission the International Space Station (ISS) and replace it with SpaceX's Axiom.
The company led by Elon Musk is playing a major role in the descent of the ISS, as it will deliver the coup de grace with its American deorbiter, scheduled for 2030.
This will occur after the departure of the astronauts who will remain on the ISS until the station's orbit fades away.
After this, the space station will transition from its current orbit, roughly 250 miles above Earth, to a lower orbit of about 136 miles over its final 12 to 18 months.
SpaceX has been awarded a $843 million contract by NASA to handle controlled descent of the ISS.
The space agency will use a special spacecraft based on its Dragon model and will ensure that any debris from the ISS falls into the ocean and not into populated areas.
On the contrary, Axiom Space is also an integral part of the plan to take down the ISS.
It will begin in 2026 and will launch four new pieces to be attached to the ISS. Before the ISS is finished, Axiom will become a new private space station.
