When it comes to the most expensive man-made object, a few exclusive monuments and palaces come into our minds. The images of the Mughal-built Taj Mahal cost approximately Rs 35 billion (USD 77.8 million) in today's scenario, however, it was built with an estimated budget of around Rs 5 million in 1653 and other luxury castles emerged whenever we think of expensive structures built by humans. So, guess which edifice is the most costly? The International Space Station (ISS) is the most expensive single item ever constructed by humans. According to 1build website, the International Space Station project was originally budgeted for USD 150 billion in 1998. ISS, the world’s largest megaproject is a joint project developed in collaboration with 15 nations. In term of its size, it is bigger than a football field.
The International Space Station (ISS) is a result of the hard work of hundreds of space scientists of 30 missions over 10 years. It was not an easy task to build a giant structure in a space where there is almost zero gravity and things are afloat. Astronauts carried devices in thousands of pieces into space and built the space station by joining piece by piece while in orbit via spacewalking.
Meanwhile, there is no fixed budget for the mega project as it kept increasing with the requirement of forthcoming missionis. The requirement for new sections and new equipment ballooned its budget. In fact, by 2030, when the project probably will be completed, the total estimated cost will be around USD 230 billion. Even some experts estimated the budget closer to USD 1 trillion - courtesy other space construction projects, including the human Mars mission.
What will happen to the space station when it's retired?
Yes, the eye-popping budget must have made you scratch your head. Now, do you know, what will be happened to the space station once it is retired?
Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX will use a powerful, souped-up capsule to shove the International Space Station out of orbit once time is up for the sprawling lab in space.
In July 2024, NASA and Elon Musk's company outlined the plan to burn the space station up on reentry and plunge what's left into the ocean, ideally at the beginning of 2031 when it hits the 32-year mark. The space agency rejected other options, like taking the station apart and bringing everything home or handing the keys to someone else.
USD 843 million contract to bring down the station
NASA gave SpaceX a USD 843 million contract to bring down the station — the biggest structure ever built off the planet.
Here's a rundown on the work and challenges ahead:
Why get rid of the space station?
The space station is already is showing signs of age. Russia and the US launched the first pieces in late 1998, and astronauts moved in two years later. Europe and Japan added their own segments, and Canada provided robotic arms. By the time NASA's shuttles retired in 2011, the station had grown to the size of a football field, with a mass of nearly 1 million pounds (430,000 kilograms).
NASA figures the station will last until at least 2030. The goal is for private companies to launch their own space stations by then, with NASA serving as one of many customers.
That strategy — already in place for station cargo and crew deliveries — will free NASA up to focus on moon and Mars travel. NASA could decide to extend the station's life, too, if no commercial outposts are up there yet. The aim is to have an overlap so scientific research is not interrupted.
Why not bring it back to Earth?
NASA considered dismantling the space station and hauling the pieces back to Earth, or letting private companies salvage the parts for their own planned outposts. But the station was never intended to be taken apart in orbit, according to NASA, and any such effort would be expensive and also risky to the astronauts who would handle the disassembly.
(With AP inputs)
