NASA and Elon Musk's SpaceX plan to use a powerful capsule to deorbit the aging International Space Station by plunging it into the ocean at the beginning of 2031. This plan is part of the transition to allow private companies to launch their space stations by then, freeing up NASA to focus on deep-space exploration.
The International Space Station, launched in late 1998 by Russia and the U.S., has grown to the size of a football field with a mass of nearly 1 million pounds. NASA's goal is to ensure there is an overlap between the retirement of the current station and the launch of private space stations to avoid interrupting scientific research.
NASA considered bringing the space station back to Earth or allowing private companies to salvage parts for their own stations. However, the station was not designed for disassembly in orbit, posing risks to astronauts. The absence of spacecraft as large as NASA's shuttles complicates the process.
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