NASA is Decommissioning the ISS by 2031—Extends Support from 2024 to 2030 But Will They Destroy It?

NASA is decommissioning the International Space Station, but it will do it by 2031. The change on dates came after President Joe Biden's extension to support the spacecraft and its operations from the supposed 2024 end date, now moved to 2030. Speculations now look at ways on the decommissioning, mainly as some say it will be destroyed.

NASA Decommission ISS 2031: Original Date Moved from 2024 to 2030

NASA provided the updated plan for the ISS' transition that will focus on its future operations, extending its availability until 2030. After the arrival of the new decade, NASA will decommission the ISS in the following year, by 2031, and by then, the space station would have lived twice its expected life span based on its original recommendations.

The efforts of President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris helped in extending its support over the International Space Station, partnering with NASA regarding the spacecraft. The plan also looks into the final years of the ISS and its transition to the upcoming low-Earth orbit spacecraft that will soon replace it as the neutral space ground for astronauts globally.

It will also serve as a place for international travel and, soon, as a destination for movie sets.

Will NASA Destroy the International Space Station?

NASA has a so-called "ISS End-of-Life Disposal Plan" for the International Space Station when it neared its supposed 15 years of age. However, efforts from the space agency pushed to its extension to use it for more years and abort its termination.

However, it is soon to come, and NASA will have to decommission the spacecraft for a new one.

The question now looks into destroying the original ISS and removing it from the face of space to free up the LEO.

NASA and the ISS's Many Missions

The International Space Station is not going anywhere. It locks itself in Earth's orbit and revolves around the home planet, which is the destination for scientists and astronauts to work. It does not go elsewhere, unlike rockets and other spacecraft whose missions are to explore other places and discover different things found elsewhere.

The ISS is famous for being a destination to carry out different experiments and research to test out various elements that will react to microgravity and yield different results compared to the Earth.

One of the critical couriers for the ISS is SpaceX's Dragon capsule, and it is the trusted company lately to bring different supplies and stocks and astronauts that will stay at the station.

NASA and other companies brought the ISS to work in 1998, and by the year 2000, it first received its habitants that will conduct their routine stay there for half a year or less. Since then, different batches of astronauts filled the space station to do various missions and procedures that will be carried out there exclusively.

The space station has 15 years of life that it already exceeded and will double by 2030, before its actual decommissioning.

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Written by Isaiah Richard