The International Space Station (ISS) recently celebrated a significant achievement with the 25th anniversary of continuous human presence aboard. However, the ISS is nearing the end of its operational life, with plans to deorbit the structure over the remote Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean by late 2030.
On November 2, the milestone of sustained human occupation was recognized, but there will be no extravagant celebrations for the upcoming semicentennial. Instead, NASA and its international partners have outlined a strategy to safely bring down the aging space station. This operation will utilize a specially modified version of SpaceX”s Dragon cargo capsule, ensuring a controlled descent into the ocean.
Point Nemo, known as the “spacecraft cemetery,” is located at coordinates 48°52.6’S 123°23.6’W, approximately 2,688 kilometers (1,670 miles) from the nearest land. The surrounding area is uninhabited, making it an ideal location for the deorbiting of large spacecraft. The remote setting minimizes the risk of debris harming people or infrastructure, as historically, several large spacecraft have been disposed of in this region.
As the ISS reenters the Earth”s atmosphere, it is expected that some components will survive the intense heat generated during the process. NASA engineers anticipate that the breakup of the ISS will occur in a series of events: the first stage involves the separation of solar arrays and radiators, followed by the breakup of intact modules and truss segments, and finally, fragmentation of individual modules.
According to NASA, much of the station”s hardware is likely to disintegrate or vaporize due to the extreme temperatures during reentry. Nevertheless, denser components, such as sections of the truss, may endure and splash down in the designated area of the ocean.
This strategy draws from experiences with previous large spacecraft reentries, including the Soviet-Russian space station Mir and NASA”s Skylab. Mir was directed to a controlled reentry over Point Nemo in March 2001, while Skylab“s reentry in July 1979 resulted in debris landing in Western Australia, highlighting the necessity for careful planning as Earth”s orbital space becomes increasingly crowded.
At 460 tons and about the length of a football field, the ISS will surpass Mir as the largest object to be deorbited over Point Nemo.
