The International Space Station (ISS)a collaborative project between 15 countries and five space agencies, has hosted astronauts for over two decades, significantly contributing to the advancement of technology and of medicine. With the support of space agencies European, Japanese, Canadians e Americansthe ISS is expected to remain operational until 2030, while the Russia It plans to continue operations until at least 2028.
Recently, it was announced that SpaceX will collaborate with NASA to guide the ISS to its conclusion, scheduled for the next decade. This process will involve the controlled descent of the ISS into Earth’s atmosphere, where it is expected to destroy itself safely. The deorbiting vehicle, developed by SpaceX, will then be operated by NASA to complete this critical mission. This decision not only ensures a safe and responsible transition of thelow earth orbitbut also supports NASA’s future plans to use commercial space stations.
After the destruction of the ISS, NASA will no longer operate space stations proper, but will become a customer of trading stations. Among the projects in development supported by NASA are those of Axiom Spacewhich plans to launch the first module of its space station in 2026 and temporarily attach it to the ISS before its deorbit. Other projects include theOrbital Reefa collaboration between Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Space e Redwire Spaceconceived as a “commercial park” 400 kilometers from Earth, and Starlabdeveloped by Voyager Space in collaboration with Airbus e Northrop Grummanwhich will be launched into orbit via the Starship Of SpaceX in a single mission.
As the ISS nears the end of its life cycle, the transition to the use of commercial space stations marks the beginning of a new era in space exploration, with NASA continuing to play a key role as a customer and technology enabler in this new space environment.
