The future of the International Space Station (ISS) is uncertain after Elon Musk’s recent tweet suggesting that it should be deorbited by 2027, three years ahead of its planned decommissioning. Musk stated that the ISS has served its purpose and there is little incremental utility left, citing his desire to focus on Mars exploration.
However, the ISS still has half a decade to go before its scheduled end-of-life, and its removal would have significant implications for international cooperation and space research. The station is not American property but a collaborative project between the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe.
NASA’s contract with SpaceX, which designs and builds the vehicle to deorbit the ISS, is worth up to $843 million. This maneuver requires precision to avoid safety hazards for humans. NASA plans to use this technology for future human space travel, including Artemis missions to the Moon and a potential manned mission to Mars in the 2030s or 2040s.
The ISS serves as a crucial platform for research into the effects of microgravity on the human body, with ongoing studies essential for long-duration spaceflight. A premature shutdown would leave NASA and the US without a long-term laboratory in low Earth orbit, causing an indefinite gap.
Musk’s declaration has sparked concerns about his conflict of interest, given SpaceX’s pivotal role as a NASA contractor. His push to deorbit the ISS may be an attempt to shift NASA’s budget toward Mars exploration, which is not aligned with current plans.
The situation has taken a personal turn, with Musk firing back at Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen after Mogensen called Trump’s claim about stranded astronauts on the ISS a lie.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/musks-plan-to-kill-the-iss-early-is-a-selfish-shortsighted-move-2000566650