The International Space Station (ISS) will conclude its operations in 2030. NASA plans to de-orbit it and sink it in the remote “Point Nemo” in the Pacific Ocean. After this, the human scientific presence in low Earth orbit will be maintained by the private sector.
The International Space Station (ISS) will end its more than 30-year mission and will be intentionally de-orbited and subsequently sunk in the remote “Point Nemo” in the Pacific Ocean in 2030, as reported by The Conversation.
The ISS is one of the largest scientific platforms in human history. Since 1998, the station has hosted astronauts and served as a unique laboratory in a microgravity environment. Over 4,000 experiments have been conducted aboard, with results forming the basis of more than 4,400 scientific publications. The research has spanned medicine, biotechnology, ecology, new materials, and even cancer drug development.
The decision to end operations is due to the station’s age, the wear and tear on its systems, and the high maintenance costs—up to $3-4 billion annually. A controlled de-orbit will allow the ISS to be safely directed to Point Nemo, a location remote from any landmass and commonly used for spacecraft disposal.
NASA plans to transfer the scientific presence in orbit to private companies, which will launch their own platforms for research in low Earth orbit, ensuring the continuation of space experiments after the conclusion of the ISS mission.
