NASA Planning To Crash Int’l Space Station Into Ocean In 2031

WASHINGTON — NASA is planning to retire the International Space Station by 2031.

The ISS will be crashed into a remote part of the Pacific Ocean known as Point Nemo, according to newly published plans detailing the last years of its service.  That remote corner of the globe has been a watery graveyard for Spacecraft since the 1970s.

By the end of its service, the ISS will have spent 30 years in orbit as a venue for scientific research and collaboration.  After its retirement, the ISS will be replaced by commercially operated Space platforms funded by the private sector.

“This third decade is one of the results, building on our successful global partnership to verify exploration and human research technologies to support deep space exploration, continue to return medical and environmental benefits to humanity, and lay the groundwork for a commercial future in low-Earth orbit,” Robyn Gatens, director of the ISS at NASA headquarters, said in a press release. “We look forward to maximizing these returns from the space station through 2030 while planning for transition to commercial space destinations that will follow.”

Russia and China also both have plans to launch their own Space Stations in the near future.