At one point, all materials, living or nonliving, tend to cease; and now it is time for the International Space Station. But not too soon too rather after 8 years. Read below to understand what’s up with the ISS and it’s retirement plans.
In a press release, NASA informed that the operations at the International Space Station are expected to wind down at the end of the decade i.e 2030. NASA plans to dump it in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean. NASA operators will direct the ISS towards a region in the Pacific Ocean called the South Pacific Oceanic Uninhabited Area around Point Nemo. This will take place during early 2031, when it will reenter the atmosphere and crash into the water.
However, NASA had attested that the ISS would continue to conduct research and develop technology through 2030 while the space agency keeps up with works on transitioning the capabilities of the station to commercially owned and operated entities.
The ISS and its contributions.
The International Space Station, also known as the ISS, is a multinational project among the following space programs: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). Various intergovernmental treaties and agreements establish the ownership and use of the space station, and it has been in service since 1998.
The ISS has not only been a pathfinder but a proving ground for developing the technologies required for us to expand into space. Although the ISS does valuable Earth science experiments and observations, it’s main purpose is to study the effects of micro gravity on humans, and perfect life support systems so that long term habitats can be built in the future.