The International Space Station will crash to Earth: where and why?

The International Space Station (ISS), which this year will celebrate its 25th anniversary in orbit, is the result of a unique collaboration between the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe. Since its launch, it has already welcomed more than 240 astronauts and carried out more than 3,000 science experiments.

If the commitment of the Biden-Harris administration made it possible to extend space station operations through 2030 (compared to 2015 initially), it will go no further. “The International Space Station is entering its third and most productive decade as the leading science platform in microgravity,” said Robin Gates, ISS Administrator, in a sober statement to NASA.

A controlled crash is planned for January 2031

The International Space Station, which orbits about 400 km above Earth, cannot remain in space indefinitely. In fact, it is exposed to slight atmospheric drag, which gradually reduces its height. To prevent it from spinning out of control and falling randomly (and dangerously) to the planet, NASA planned to deorbit it in a controlled manner.

The plan is to separate ISS modules that are not needed — or pose a contamination risk — and burn them in the atmosphere. Returning all intact to Earth would cost a lot of money, and the remaining units would be directed to a specific point in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, called Point Nemo, where they would crash.

Point Nemo is located in the South Pacific Ocean, the most inaccessible sea pole, that is, the point of the ocean farthest from any land that appeared. It has already been a graveyard of space debris since 1971 since 260 objects crashed there, including Mir, the predecessor of the International Space Station.

The planned end date for the International Space Station is January 2031, according to final report Published by NASA. This corresponds to a 15-year extension compared to the original planned duration, which was 2015. NASA has decided to keep the International Space Station in operation until 2030 to continue to benefit from its scientific and technological advantages at an affordable cost.

How will the breakup happen?

On the NASA blog, one can discover details about the process of taking out and disassembling the space station. Firstly, “The Earth’s natural atmospheric resistance will be used as much as possible to lower the station’s altitude when implementing the deorbit.”

immediately afterwards, “Space station operators will perform a major re-entry” in an effort to direct ISS elements to the infamous Point Nemo. An auxiliary ship capable of propelling the space station to full power would have to step in.

“As the debris continues to enter the atmosphere, the outer skin of the units must melt, exposing the inner material to rapid heating and melting. According to the latter,The environmental impacts of this wreck in the projected impact area are expected to be low.”