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Journalism of Courage
As of November 2, the International Space Station (ISS) has continually supported human habitation for 25 years, making it a significant accomplishment in space exploration. However, the station is nearing the end of its useful life due to outdated infrastructure and ongoing problems like air leaks.
By the end of 2030, plans are in place to retire the ISS and enable its deorbit, ending an era in which astronauts from all over the world have lived and worked in this special setting.
A collaborative project involving multiple global space agencies, such as the US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Russia’s Roscosmos, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, the ISS has been operational in low-Earth orbit, approximately 260 miles above the Earth. It serves as a home for astronauts from various countries and functions as a research platform for scientific studies in microgravity, while also accommodating private commercial missions.
Over 280 astronauts from 26 nations have visited the station, with 170 hailing from the United States. Spanning 356 feet in length, the ISS is larger than a six-bedroom house, offering amenities like six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a unique bay window with a 360-degree view. It also features multiple docking ports, allowing up to eight spacecraft to be connected to it simultaneously.
Decommissioning the ageing cosmic outpost is the collective responsibility of five nations – the US, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada – whose space agencies have operated it since 1998, as explained by NASA in its transition plan. All participating nations, except Russia, have committed to supporting ISS operations until 2030. Russia has only agreed to continue its involvement until 2028, according to a NASA blog post from 2023. Nevertheless, a report from the Office of Inspector General, released in late 2024, raised concerns regarding the ISS’s ability to endure an additional five years, citing significant structural issues that it has encountered over time.
In 2023, NASA determined that the safest method for retiring the ISS would be a controlled re-entry that culminates in a crash landing in a remote ocean area. It later solicited proposals from the private sector, ultimately awarding the contract to SpaceX, the company headed by billionaire Elon Musk.
SpaceX will develop the vehicle required for deorbiting the space station, which must be capable of executing a propulsive manoeuvre to ensure a precise descent trajectory into designated uninhabited waters. During re-entry, it is anticipated that the majority of the space station’s modules and hardware will incinerate, melt, or vaporise. However, certain denser and heat-resistant components may endure the re-entry process and will fall into the ocean, where they are expected to harmlessly settle on the ocean floor, as per NASA’s assessments.
As of November, the ISS hosts seven individuals, including four astronauts from Crew-11, a collaboration between NASA and SpaceX. The Crew-11 team consists of NASA’s Zena Cardman and Michael Fincke, Kimiya Yui from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov.
They launched on August 1 from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida aboard a Dragon capsule, which was propelled into orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Additionally, NASA astronaut Jonny Kim arrived at the ISS in April alongside Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, who travelled using a Soyuz capsule launched from Kazakhstan. Collectively, these astronauts form part of Expedition 73.
What follows the ISS is anticipated to be a series of next-generation space outposts developed by private companies, as NASA pivots its focus towards lunar and Martian exploration.
The US space agency has no intentions of constructing a new space station, instead opting to collaborate with commercial entities to facilitate human activities in low-Earth orbit. According to NASA’s transition plan from July 2024, the agency aims to position itself as a customer in a thriving commercial market that offers various services, such as in-orbit destinations, and cargo and crew transportation.
