NASA has announced that the International Space Station (ISS) will be deliberately brought down into Earth's atmosphere in 2030, where it will crash into a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.
Launched in 1998 with its first modules and continuously operated since 2000, the station has become one of humanity's greatest scientific collaborations in history.
The ISS has hosted over 4,000 experiments to date. It has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in many fields, from crystallizing cancer drugs to developing artificial retinas, DNA sequencing, and optical fiber production. Approximately 300 astronauts from 26 countries have served on the station.
After the ISS is decommissioned, NASA and international partners will not withdraw from low Earth orbit.
The agency has invested more than $400 million in the private sector to develop commercial space stations. Companies like SpaceX, Boeing, Axiom Space, Blue Origin, and Starlab are working on next-generation modules.
The goal is to test private stations that can host crews of four people for at least 30 days before the ISS is retired.
NASA plans to "purchase services" from these stations, similar to its current contracts for cargo and astronaut transportation.
When the ISS is shut down, China's Tiangong space station will continue to operate actively. Since 2021, Tiangong has hosted continuous manned missions, making it the world's longest-running human-occupied station after the ISS retirement.
The ISS will remain in orbit until 2030. Until then, it will remain one of the brightest objects in the night sky and will be remembered as one of humanity's greatest symbols of collective wisdom and cooperation.
NASA aims to continue the ISS legacy through commercial stations and transfer critical experience for missions to the Moon and Mars to these new platforms.
