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International Space Station will crash land into watery retirement in 2031

Credit: NASA
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The zero-gravity research station will continue operations until 2031, at which point it will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere for the first time since 1998. Shortly after, it will crash land in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean.

After what will be a 33-year lifespan – facilitating on-hand, ground breaking inter-planetary research – the ISS will smash into the Pacific in a fiery blaze of twisted metal. What a dignified end.

Constructed by an international cohort of space agencies, the ISS was originally slated to operate for 15 years. Having continually been occupied since 2000, however, astronauts and cosmonauts have been conducting research on-board for seven years extra.

Travelling around the globe every 90 minutes on average, the modular hub is around the size of an American football field (109 meters long).

Within its many units, scientists have conducted invaluable studies into the effects of microgravity on the human body and psyche, while running practical tests on spacecraft maintenance. Chiefly, it’s still held up today as the flagship project for furthering humanity’s exploration of space.

Nevertheless, the age-old idiom ‘all good things must come to an end’ rings true again. Concerns over ‘irreparable failures’ in the ISS’ construction, as well as ‘technical issues’ brought to light by NASA have ended the prospect of utilising the station closer to the mid-century.

In-fact, as much as 80 percent of in-flight systems on the Russian segment of the ISS have reportedly passed their expiry date, and an increasing number of superficial fissures are being unearthed as the years pass.

NASA has now seen fit to lock in a date for 2031 as D-Day – or ‘de-orbitation’ day – as the agency prefers, for the ISS.

Once its operations are ceased, and its inhabitants shipped off in various shuttles, the ISS will plunge into the ocean at Point Nemo, a watery graveyard of satellites and space stations some 2,700 kilometres off the nearest coastline. ‘It’s pretty much the farthest place from any human civilisation you can find,’ says NASA.

So, does this spell the end of extended physical research within space, I hear you ask?

On the contrary, the field is evolving and expanding, and NASA expects a whole host of stations to be running at full capacity by the time the ISS says goodnight.

Celebrating the multitude of scientific accomplishments on board the ISS, its director of operations at NASA believes all involved have laid ‘the groundwork for a commercial future in low-Earth orbit.’

Within a new framework, NASA will begin to rent destinations in local space to commercial buyers whilst also lending expertise. With the so-called ‘space race’ in full effect, this will open the door to the likes of Blue Origin, Space X, and Virgin to begin developing their own state-of-the-art facilities in zero gravity.

The transition away from one dedicated hub for space research will save NASA a purported $1.3bn in 2031 alone. This sum, a spokesperson reveals, will ‘be applied to NASA’s deep space exploration initiatives, allowing the agency to explore further and faster into deep space.’

Let’s hope these ambitions amount to more than allowing the richest 1% to sneer down at us through a glass of Dom Pérignon.

Tech Editor London, UK

I’m Jamie (He/Him), the Editor in Chief at Thred. Keeping up with gaming and revolutionary technology is my forte, but when away from my keyboard, you’ll probably find me wrapped around a large Tango ice blast at the latest mediocre horror flick. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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