International Space Station to be deorbited into Pacific Ocean

NASA plans to perform a controlled deorbit of the International Space Station (ISS) into the Pacific Ocean by the end of 2030. Valued at between $100 billion and $150 billion, the 420-ton structure cannot be left to fall uncontrollably, as debris could land unpredictably across the globe.

To manage the descent, SpaceX has been contracted for a mission valued at up to $843 million. The company will develop a modified version of its Dragon capsule, known as an American Deorbit Vehicle, which NASA will pilot to make precise trajectory adjustments. The process involves the final crew departing the station, followed by the vehicle using its engines to guide the ISS toward a specific target area.

The designated landing site is Point Nemo in the South Pacific, the location furthest from any landmass. These coordinates were calculated in 1992 by Hrvoje Lukatela, a Croatian-born geodetic engineer working in Canada, who used geospatial modeling to identify the point.