NASA Planning to Crash ISS Into the Pacific in 2030

NASA is requesting feedback from American companies on the next phase of its commercial space stations strategy to ensure a seamless transition of activities in low Earth orbit from the International Space Station.

Andrew Griffin

Published: 9/25/2025, 11:17:30 AM EDT

NASA Planning to Crash ISS Into the Pacific in 2030 — The International Space Station (ISS) during its fly in an undated handout photo. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP)

This November will mark the 25th year that the International Space Station has been orbiting 250 miles above the surface of the Earth, offering teams of international astronauts and scientists a chance to study and experiment in a semi-controlled environment in low-Earth orbit.

But in 2030, the year that the ISS turns 30, NASA will de-orbit the space station and send it plummeting through the atmosphere into a remote area of the Pacific Ocean.

The ISS has been regarded as a remarkable achievement in the history of space exploration, as it has been occupied for 24 hours a day, seven days a week since the turn of the 21st century, hosting spacefarers from the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

More than 4,000 experiments have been conducted aboard ISS in the intervening quarter of a century, resulting in findings published in thousands of publications and helping improve and advance life here on Earth, while blazing a path for future space exploration activities like the planned manned mission to the vicinity of the moon next spring.

Earlier this month, NASA announced it was looking for input on the growth and expansion of commercial space stations, which will soon be developed, but will likely not be ready in the next five years, at which point ISS meets a fiery and watery end.

NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said in a press conference that the space agency is committed to continuing America's role in manned spaceflight in orbiting craft in low-Earth orbit. This continues NASA's plan to expand commercial opportunities in space, a plan that was crafted in 2021.

“NASA has led in low Earth orbit for 25 years and counting. Now, as we prepare for deorbiting the International Space Station in 2030, we’re calling on our commercial space partners to maintain this historic human presence,” Duffy said. “The American space industry is booming. Insight from these innovative companies will be invaluable as we work to chart the next phase of commercial space stations.”

Duffy said NASA released its "Phase 2 Announcement for Partnership Proposals," which explains that once ISS is retired in five years, "the ability of private industry to take on the task of providing routine utilization of Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and maintaining a continuous U.S. presence in space is of vital importance to both NASA and U.S. goals."

This would include collaborating with the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center's Commercial LEO Development Program, which would assist in spurring the development of new destinations in low-Earth orbit.

This all comes as China's Tiangong space station, which has three taikonauts continually onboard its spacecraft, and has for the past four years. If ISS comes down and there are no replacement space stations by the early 2030s, China will dominate low-Earth orbit as its permanently crewed station works on expansion into deep space.