Soon enough, the International Space Station (ISS) will reach its end of life, and the decision of how to safely dispose of the 430-tonne structure will need to be made.
Since the ISS is the largest object in orbit around Earth, leaving it up there isn’t exactly an option.
If something were to collide with it, it could break apart, creating a dangerous cloud of debris and essentially threatening other satellites.
‘The space station is a unique artefact whose historical value cannot be overstated,’ NASA wrote in a white paper.
‘NASA considered this when determining if any part of the station could be salvaged for historical preservation or technical analysis.’
Matthias Kulka / Getty
However, the US space agency noted that salvaging the station was too costly and complex to follow through, leaving one option.
To completely obliterate it, which is where Tesla CEO Elon Musk comes in.
His company, SpaceX, was awarded a huge contract by NASA on June 26 to handle the ISS’s deorbiting. The contract is worth an eye-watering value of $843 million.
The plan involves using a special Deorbit Vehicle, which will act as a space tugboat, dragging the ISS down into the atmosphere where it will mostly burn upon re-entry.
‘Selecting a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations,’ Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington stated.
Marc Piasecki / Contributor / Getty
Given the size of the ISS, some parts will likely survive the intense heat of re-entry, so careful planning is required to make sure any debris falls into the ocean or other remote areas. Basically, away from all people.
‘Most of the Earth is covered in water, and space scientists are well versed in applying changes to satellite orbits right up until the point of re-entry, to precisely control the path of a spacecraft,’ Dr. Darren Baskill, astronomy lecturer at the University of Sussex, tells BBC Science Focus.
Baskill explains that the precise adjustments to the satellite orbits will manage the ISS’s final descent and ensure it lands safely away from everyone.
‘What the ISS has provided over the last 23 years is a platform to carry out a wide variety of experiments with a rapid turnover that simply cannot be carried out on the ground,’ Baskill concluded. ‘It has also fostered international cooperation, and inspired many into studying science further.’
The richest man in the world is getting another healthy paycheque – well, one of his companies is.
Elon Musk‘s SpaceX isn’t just known for building rockets and trying to get us from New York to London in 30 minutes. It’s also in the demolition business.
The International Space Station was built all the way back in 1998 in a joint venture between NASA (America), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). Unfortunately, it’s looking a bit tired while circling up there in the cosmos, with NASA already penciling in its eventual destruction.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been awarded the lucrative contract (Brandon Bell / Staff / Getty)
The ISS hovers some 400 km (250 miles) above us and has had a crew since 2000.
Unfortunately, its legacy as holding host to thousands of important space experiments is coming to an end.
Although engineers say the laboratory is structurally sound, other bits aren’t faring as well and would eventually see the ISS fall to Earth of its own accord. The last thing you want is a 430-ton space station crashing in your neighborhood.
NASA has awarded SpaceX the lucrative $843 million contract to destroy the ISS, with plans to build a massive ‘tug boat’ that’s able to pull the ISS toward the Pacific Ocean.
For those hoping it’ll become some environment-saving underwater reef, don’t expect to find much left because NASA has said the ISS will ‘destructively break up.’
Still, some elements are expected to survive the immense heat of re-entry.
Ken Bowersox, NASA’s associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate, explains: “The orbital laboratory remains a blueprint for science, exploration, and partnerships in space for the benefit of all.”
While SpaceX will build the deorbit craft, NASA will then take over and operate the demolition mission. Sorry Elon, you won’t be able to fire a giant laser at it.
The date to mark in your diary is some time around 2030, with NASA saying it’s putting its efforts into ‘commercially owned space destinations closer to home’.
The end is nigh for the ISS (Getty Images / Handout / Getty)
Most countries have agreed to support the ISS until 2030, while Russia has vowed to carry on until 2028.
As for what’s next, private companies including SpaceX, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Axiom, and Vast are all looking into commercial space stations that could launch as early as 2025.
Bowersox continued: “Selecting a US De-orbit Vehicle for the International Space Station (ISS) will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations. This decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth.”
In terms of the ISS’ final resting place, it’s being aimed at the remote Point Nemo in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Being some 2,500 km from the nearest piece of land, it’s unlikely to become a tourist hot pot.
Featured Image Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Staff / Getty / NASA
It’s a story that’s caught the attention of the world and is almost certainly destined to become a Netflix documentary. The lives of NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore have gripped us all, with the pair being marooned on the International Space Station since June 2024. Despite Williams insisting we shouldn’t say they’re ‘stranded’, the pair have long overstayed their welcome considering their original mission was only supposed to take eight days.
While the Boeing Crew Flight Test mission ended up taking 93 days, that was only to bring back the unmanned craft to Earth. Instead, Williams and Wilmore have been subjected to 258 days in space, with a few more until they’ll be back on terra firma.
The pair are due to be rescued by the incoming Crew-10 launch, which is scheduled to blast off on March 12. NASA has moved its schedule forward in an attempt to get the stuck astronauts back a little sooner.
Elon Musk says Williams and Wilmore were left it space due to ‘political reasons’ (Kevin Dietsch / Staff / Getty)
Despite calls from Donald Trump to get Elon Musk to launch a rescue mission, NASA insists that the earlier launch date is nothing to do with pressures from external sources. Elon Musk has now spoken out about the whole situation and said Williams and Wilmore were left up in the stars for ‘political reasons’. Speaking to Fox News in a joint interview with President Trump, Musk mused: “At the — at the president’s request, we — or instruction, we are accelerating the return of the astronauts, which was postponed, kind of, to a ridiculous degree.”
When it was pointed out how long they’ve been up there, Trump interjected and blamed former President Joe Biden, while Musk continued: “They were left up there for political reasons, which is not good.”
Looking at the mission ahead, the SpaceX CEO continued: “Well, we don’t want to be complacent, but we have brought astronauts back from the space station many times before, and always with success. So, as long as we’re not complacent.”
.@NASA and @SpaceX are accelerating the target launch and return dates for the upcoming crew rotation missions to and from the @Space_Station. The agency’s Crew-10 launch now is targeting Wednesday, March 12, pending mission readiness and completion of the agency’s certification…
Although Musk said they now have the go-ahead to launch, he reiterated, “We’re being extremely cautious.”
Trump again interjected to add: “They didn’t have the go-ahead with Biden…He was going to leave him in space. I think he was going to leave them in space…He didn’t want the publicity. Can you believe it?”
In January 2025, Trump took to his Truth Social platform and wrote: “I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to “go get” the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!”
While Williams and Wilmore have a few more weeks to wait, we’re sure they’re counting down the days on their ISS space calendars – especially given their unexpected pay packets.
The plans for what will happen to Earth after Elon Musk finally destroys the $150 billion International Space Station have been revealed.
Musk’s space firm, SpaceX, is set to handle the destruction of the ISS and see it be brought back down to Earth in 2031.
The space station will have spent just over 30 years orbiting our planet as its work finally comes to an end.
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Elon Musk’s SpaceX will bring the ISS back to Earth (ANGELA WEISS/Getty Images)
And there are some very specific plans for how it’ll be brought back into the atmosphere.
First of all, it will have to be a controlled descent to avoid any injuries to humans on Earth.
In order to achieve this, experts are aiming the space station at Point Nemo, which is the spot in the Pacific Ocean that is as far from land and civilization as possible.
It isn’t unusual for space debris to be brought down at Point Nemo, which has gained the nickname ‘the spacecraft cemetery’.
What will happen to Earth?
There are some concerns about what the side effects could be that our planet might suffer after bringing the ISS down.
One concern is that the space station will veer off course on the way back to Earth and end up somewhere completely different – and a lot more populated.
But even if all goes to plan, there are fears around dropping too much space waste into the ocean.
In fact, NASA has even admitted that some toxic or radioactive materials may even leak into the sea, which could have hazardous consequences.
And leaving the ISS in the Pacific Ocean might even be illegal.
The ISS will be destroyed after three decades in space (SCIEPRO/Getty Images)
This is according to a part of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which states that all nations ‘have the obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment’.
That being said, there really isn’t much else SpaceX can do and there are no safer alternatives.
So, the plans to bring the ISS down into the ocean may have no choice but to go against the new Global Ocean Treaty that was agreed by the United Nations back in 2023.
The treaty agreed to aim to protect the marine environment in international waters from ‘human activity’ but so far hasn’t been ratified into international law.
In other space news, as the ISS reaches its final years in operation, two astronauts remain stranded as they wait to be picked up by a SpaceX crew.
Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams have been stuck in space since June 2024 when their spacecraft experienced multiple faults.
Featured Image Credit: ANGELA WEISS/SCIEPRO/Getty Images
The saga of Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore is finally set to come to an end, as NASA confirms when the stranded astronauts will be brought back to Earth. Williams and Wilmore flew on the Boeing Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission, and although it was supposed to take eight days, they’ve been marooned on the International Space Station since June 6, 2024.
The pair have become the subject of much media interest, with President Donald Trump even calling for Elon Musk to try and rescue them. But alas, it’s not that easy, with NASA explaining why Williams and Wilmore have to wait a little longer.
There have been concerns for the astronauts, and the longer they stay up there, the worse the side effects of an extended stay in space become.
Due to a fault with their Boeing Starliner thrusters as it approached the ISS, the Crew-9 team of Williams and Wilmore were left up there while their craft was eventually flown back unmanned.
In its latest blog post, NASA confirmed what’s going on with the Crew-10 launch that will bring the Crew-9 astronauts home. It is now accelerating its Crew-10 launch and is hoping to hit a March 12 launch window.
.@NASA and @SpaceX are accelerating the target launch and return dates for the upcoming crew rotation missions to and from the @Space_Station. The agency’s Crew-10 launch now is targeting Wednesday, March 12, pending mission readiness and completion of the agency’s certification…
There will be a couple of days of handover before Crew-9 is sent home.
Crew-10 will be the tenth operational NASA Commercial Crew Program flight and is planned to be the 17th crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft. It’s comprised of NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
Instead of flying a new Dragon ship, NASA is aiming for an earlier window because it will use the previous Endurance craft.
NASA says: “Joint teams are working to complete assessments of the spacecraft’s previously flown hardware to ensure it meets the agency’s Commercial Crew Program safety and certification requirements.
Sunita Williams says she doesn’t feel ‘stranded’ in space (CBS Evening News)
“Teams will work to complete Dragon’s refurbishment and ready the spacecraft for flight.”
Explaining why things are suddenly moving so quickly, NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich said: “Human spaceflight is full of unexpected challenges. Our operational flexibility is enabled by the tremendous partnership between NASA and SpaceX and the agility SpaceX continues to demonstrate to safely meet the agency’s emerging needs.
“We greatly benefit from SpaceX’s commercial efforts and their proactive approach in having another spacecraft ready for us to assess and use in support of Crew-10.”
Although the return of Williams and Wilmore has only been moved forward a matter of days and is “pending mission readiness”, we’re sure it’s a welcome relief for the pair.
Despite all of this, Williams has said she doesn’t feel ‘stranded’, telling CBS: “I don’t think I’m abandoned. I don’t think we’re stuck up here.
“We’ve got food. We’ve got clothes. We have a ride home in case anything really bad does happen to the International Space Station.
“We’re in a posture … where we have the International Space Station fully manned and doing what the taxpayers wanted, to do world-class science. And so I feel honored, like I said, to be here and a part of the team.”
