Elon Musk Urges NASA To Deorbit The ISS Sooner: “Time To Move On — Let’s Go To Mars!”

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has called on NASA to accelerate plans for deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS). He suggested it should happen within the next two years instead of by 2030.

Musk Pushes For Early ISS Deorbiting

According to Musk, retiring the ageing space station sooner will allow the U.S. space program to shift its focus toward deep-space exploration, particularly missions to Mars.

“It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the @Space_Station. It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility. Let’s go to Mars,” Musk wrote on X on 20th February.

An X user asked Musk whether he was suggesting deorbiting the ISS before its planned 2030 retirement. In response, the SpaceX CEO confirmed that he believed it should come down much sooner. 

“The decision is up to the President, but my recommendation is as soon as possible. I recommend 2 years from now,” he answered.

ISS History & Upcoming Deorbiting

The ISS is the product of a collaboration between NASA, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan’s JAXA, and Russia’s Roscosmos. Since its construction began in 1998, the ISS has remained continuously inhabited since November 2000, serving as a research hub and proving ground for long-duration space missions.

However, the station is now showing signs of ageing, and NASA, along with its partners, has already outlined plans for a controlled deorbit in 2030. In this context, SpaceX has been contracted to develop the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), an $843 million spacecraft based on the Dragon design, to ensure a safe descent over the South Pacific.

Musk’s Mars-First Vision VS NASA’s Lunar Strategy

Musk’s push to deorbit the ISS aligns with his long-standing vision of making Mars humanity’s next home. The billionaire has repeatedly emphasized that efforts should be directed toward colonizing the Red Planet, even dismissing the Moon as a “distraction” in a December X post.

“We’re going straight to Mars. The Moon is a distraction,” he wrote then.

NASA, however, has a different roadmap. The agency’s Artemis program is focused on establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon, viewing it as a crucial stepping stone for future Mars missions.

As for now, despite Musk’s call for an earlier exit, the current timeline of the ISS deorbiting remains unchanged.