R.I.P. ISS 1998-2031
Today, NASA announced that the International Space Station (ISS) will deorbit the Earth and dive into the Pacific Ocean in January 2031. Launched in 1998, the ISS will make a splash 1678 miles from Point Nemo. This area is a common rating place for satellites including Russia’s Mir, which was a smaller space station. Nonetheless, this marks the end of an era that was extremely important for space exploration and mankind.
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| Render of the ISS |
Previously, the ISS was expected to be deorbited in January 2028. However, the Biden Administration’s commitment to space exploration. Earlier this week, NASA announced a new transition plan for low-Earth orbit science, which first requires the deorbiting of the ISS. Not all will be lost. NASA also signed an agreement with Blue Origin, Nanorack LLC, and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation to work on new commercial space stations. That is right, space stations, with an “S”! These space stations will be used by both private companies and government astronauts.
When deorbited, the ISS will be the largest satellite to do so. The deorbiting of the ISS will need to be carefully planned because while many parts of it will burn up upon atmospheric reentry, it won’t completely burn up because of its irregular shape.
However, the ISS will still remain busy, as it has been for the last 23 years, and be used by both NASA researchers and private contractors. Especially during the first couple of years in the Artemis program, the ISS will be crucial for training. Still, even after its eventual plummet to the Pacific, the ISS is the blueprint and footstool for space exploration and mankind's push into the future. To learn more about the ISS, check out this article.
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| Gateway: a future space station planned for the Artemis Mission |
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