As NASA prepares for new commercial space travel destinations, it has announced plans for the safe deorbit and destruction of the International Space Station (ISS) by 2030. The agency has selected SpaceX to handle the deorbiting process.
Ken Bowersox, Associate Administrator for the Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA, stated, "The selection of a U.S. deorbit vehicle for the ISS will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of the station's operations." He further noted that this decision supports NASA's plans for future commercial destinations and facilitates ongoing use of space near Earth.
SpaceX will develop the spacecraft for the ISS deorbit, while NASA will operate it during the mission. After the ISS is deorbited, it is expected to disintegrate during reentry.
Since 1998, five space agencies, including the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), NASA, and Russia's Roscosmos, have operated the ISS, each responsible for managing and controlling their provided hardware.
Over its 24 years of crewed operations, the ISS has served as a unique scientific platform where crew members conduct experiments across multiple research disciplines, including Earth and space sciences, biology, human physiology, physical sciences, and technology demonstrations not possible on Earth.
The ISS has been a cornerstone of commercial space endeavors, from crew and cargo partnerships to commercial research and national lab investigations. Lessons learned aboard the ISS are aiding the transition to future commercial space stations.
Russia has committed to continue ISS operations until 2028, while the United States, Japan, Canada, and ESA member countries have pledged to operate it until 2030.