International Space Station (ISS) Orbiting Earth in Space. Planet map and ISS model from NASA.
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In a surprising announcement at the end of January, NASA has updated their International Space Station Transition Report with details of a plan to de-orbit and crash the ISS into the Pacific Ocean in 2031.
“The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit people on Earth and is enabling our ability to travel into deep space,” the announcement opens, understating the fact that the ISS has led to the development of countless scientific advancements that benefit life on earth – and have advanced our knowledge and understanding of human biology, genetics, and psychology.
It then continues: “The Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to extend space station operations until 2030 will enable the United States to continue to reap these benefits for the next decade while U.S. industry develops commercial destinations and markets for a thriving space economy.”
The news that the current administration planned support through the turn of the next decade is not news; this was news one month ago. It is surprising though, that that “commitment” ends with a series of de-orbit burns and a giant splash in an uninhabited part of the Pacific Ocean.
Phil McAlister, director of commercial space at NASA Headquarters, indicated that the private sector will need to pick up the slack on low-earth orbit space stations going forward. “The private sector is technically and financially capable of developing and operating commercial low-Earth orbit destinations, with NASA’s assistance,” he said. “We look forward to sharing our lessons learned and operations experience with the private sector to help them develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective destinations in space.”
Certainly there have been announcements for these types of projects, and NASA ended 2021 by selecting companies to begin developing commercial space stations in the next decade.
While NASA has long had a Transition Report for ISS, this announcement about the end of ISS all feels a bit sudden though. After all, 2031 – 9 years from now – is well within the timeline of many projects NASA plans and executes. Some NASA projects currently in process will still be that way or ongoing by the planned end date for ISS. The response was certainly mixed on social media platforms like Twitter.
Some, like Dr. Chris Combs, an assistant professor of hypersonics at the University of Texas in San Antonio, joked about the “release date” for this new plan:
While others, like space investor and founder of Space Fund Rick Tumlinson suggested there were more prudent ways to take ISS out of commission:
Undoubtedly this announcement comes as the result of extensive communications with international partners that also use the ISS, though there was little in the way of public commentary from those agencies such as ESA (European Space Agency) or Roscosmos (Russian Federation State Space Corporation).
Of course NASA’s stance on the support and future of ISS has changed repeatedly over the past few years, so there may be changes in this timeline yet to come. For now, it’s a good reminder to appreciate those opportunities when you can spot ISS in the sky and appreciate its benefits down here on earth.
