End of an Era: NASA Plans to Drop International Space Station Into Ocean

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Orbiting about 400 kilometres above Earth and spanning the size of a football field, the International Space Station (ISS) has been a hub of scientific research since 1998. Weighing over 430 tonnes and travelling at a speed of 28,000 kilometres per hour, it has hosted more than 280 astronauts from 26 countries.

After more than three decades of service, NASA and its partner agencies — Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency — have decided to retire the ISS by 2030. Structural components like modules, trusses and radiators are showing signs of deterioration, making operations increasingly risky and costly. The plan is to guide the ISS into the remote waters of the Pacific Ocean at a location known as Point Nemo.

Why Point Nemo?

Point Nemo is one of the most isolated spots on the planet — around 3,000 miles from New Zealand’s east coast and 2,000 miles from Antarctica. It has long served as a “graveyard” for decommissioned satellites and spacecraft. SpaceX will build a special deorbit vehicle to safely direct the ISS to this location, marking the end of its $150 billion, 30-year journey.

Other Options Considered

NASA explored alternatives such as moving the ISS into a higher orbit to preserve it as a historical monument. However, this would have increased the risk of collision with space debris and required substantial resources. Another proposal was to dismantle and return parts of the ISS for museum or research purposes, but this posed extreme safety and cost challenges. The chosen plan involves allowing most of the station to burn up during re-entry, with the remaining debris sinking to the depths of Point Nemo.

What’s Next for Space Stations?

The ISS has been a symbol of global cooperation in space research, but its retirement does not mark the end of space stations. NASA is turning to private companies like Axiom Space, Blue Origin and Voyager for future orbital laboratories. China currently operates its own station, Tiangong, while Russia plans to launch its own by 2033. India is targeting the creation of its own space station by 2035.

With this mission, one of humanity’s most ambitious space projects will conclude, paving the way for a new era of orbital research led by both nations and private enterprises.