For humans, visiting the Pacific Ocean is a vacation; for spacecraft, it’s no more than a graveyard. One the International Space Station (ISS) will use as its final resting place when NASA decommissions the floating laboratory in 2031 to make way for commercial low-orbit modules.
In the newly released International Space Station Transition Report, NASA revealed it will begin slowly lowering the operational altitude of the ISS beginning in October 2026. If all goes well, by September 2030, the ISS will reach an altitude of 280 km—the point of no return. In January 2031, the ISS will fall to Earth in an area known as the South Pacific Oceanic Uninhabited Area, also known as Point Nemo.
Approximately 3,000 miles off New Zealand's eastern coast and 2,000 miles north of Antarctica, Point Nemo is the spot in the Pacific Ocean that is farthest from land, making it an ideal watery grave for spacecraft. Literature suggests Point Nemo is the final resting place of more than 263 pieces of space debris since 1971.
As the ISS enters its final decade, NASA is hoping it will be the most productive to date.
“The first decade of ISS was dedicated to assembly, and the second was devoted to research and technology development and learning how to conduct these activities most effectively in space. The third decade is one in which NASA aims to verify exploration and human research technologies to support deep space exploration, continue to return medical and environmental benefits to humanity, continue to demonstrate U.S. leadership in [low-earth orbit (LEO)] through international partnerships, and lay the groundwork for a commercial future in LEO,” the NASA report reads.
In January 2020, NASA signed a contract with Axiom Space for the use of the forward Node 2 port on ISS, on which they will deploy a commercial module in the mid-2020s. This module will support private activities in LEO that could otherwise not be accomplished on the government-owned ISS, testing technology and a business plan for commercial platform operations. Axiom plans to add more modules to this complex with the eventual aim of detaching from the ISS and becoming a free-flying destination.
Additionally, in December 2021, the space agency awarded three grants to Blue Origin, Nanoracks and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation to help advance designs for commercial free flyers.
“By engaging with industry early in the development phase of [commercial LEO destinations (CLD)], NASA is helping to ensure that these commercial systems will be safe and will eventually meet the Agency’s requirements,” reads the transition report. “NASA will be able to transfer its knowledge and experience from over 20 years of ISS operations to the private sector, while the companies will be able to quickly mature innovative and cost-effective designs.”
The space agency is hopeful the awards, combined with the Axiom concept, will ensure there is no gap in U.S. presence in low-earth orbit once the ISS begins falling to its fate. In fact, NASA said it plans to purchase crew time for at least two, possibly more, NASA crewmembers per year aboard commercial LEO destinations to continue basic microgravity research. The space agency is also looking at purchasing exploration technology testbed and analog services, time on CLD facilities to build NASA astronaut flight experience and even research time from a commercial provider’s private astronauts.
Ultimately, NASA’s transition plan sees it supporting—rather than operating—a low-earth orbit laboratory that the space agency can not only use on-demand (at a substantial price reduction), but also one that can make itself financially self-sustaining through commercial tourism, marketing and in-space product manufacturing.
“There is a risk associated with relying on private companies to develop LEO destinations as well as to provide a national-lab-like facility; however, this same risk was present in relying on private companies to develop cargo and crew transportation to ISS as well as research capabilities that NASA uses today,” reads the report. “The development of all of these commercial capabilities has returned significant benefits to the United States. The strategy NASA is employing allows for time to deploy these CLDs, while still allowing for overlap between ISS and CLDs. The Agency intends to collaborate with commercial and international partners toward a productive post-ISS future in LEO, ensuring continued growth, development, and U.S. leadership of this critical domain.”
Photo: NASA astronaut Raja Chari displays cotton cells growing on a petri dish for the Plant Habitat-05 space botany study. Credit: NASA