NASA Discloses Plans to Destroy the International Space Station in 2031

17th Feb 2022
NASA Discloses Plans to Destroy the International Space Station in 2031

NASA recently revealed plans to destroy the International Space Station (ISS), which will be tossed into a remote place on Earth, also called the “spacecraft cemetery”. These plans are slated for January 2031 and will begin with a gradual “de-orbit” of the 930,000 pound facility. The parts that do not burn up during the station’s descent will fall into Point Nemo, an uninhabited region in the South Pacific Ocean. This is considered the most remote place on Earth, making it the furthest point from human settlement, where rockets and satellites are put to rest.

End of Service by the International Space Station

The International Space Station, launched in 1998, was made to last 15 years. It will have been operational for more than 30 years by the time it’s sent into the ocean. NASA claims safety checks on the International Space Station have shown it will be safe until 2030, but each new unloading and docking adds strain, with issues on some Russian modules like repeated leaks increasing. The aim is to eventually separate and use a commercial station, jointly owned with other privately-run orbital facilities that will launch before 2030. NASA says it would prefer to work with private operators than run its own facilities, the same way the organisation works with SpaceX to fly astronauts into orbit.

Plans to Sink the ISS

NASA has decided to sink the International Space Station in a remote place in the ocean, known as the “spacecraft cemetery”. The end-of-life plan follows a commitment by President Joe Biden to help the station run up to 2030, by which time a commercial alternative will be available. The International Space Station works as a laboratory that returns enormous educational, scientific, and technological developments that benefit people on Earth.

Leave a Reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Related Articles

Explore Orbital Today