02/22/2024

The International Space Station Retires Soon

NASA will not run its future replacement

Since its first modules launched at the end of 1998, the International Space Station has been orbiting 250 miles above Earth. But at the end of 2030, NASA plans to crash the ISS into the ocean after it is replaced with a new space station, a reminder that nothing within Earth's orbit can stay in space forever

NASA is collaborating on developing a space station owned, built, and operated by a private company — either Axiom Space, Voyager Space or Blue Origin. NASA is giving each company hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and sharing their expertise with them.

Eventually, they will select one company to officially partner with and have them replace the ISS. NASA says this will help them focus on deep space exploration, which they consider a much more difficult task.

Please select this link to read the complete article from NPR.