In October 2000, a Soyuz rocket carried out the first expedition to the International Space Station and thus began permanent residence aboard the laboratory. Humans have had a place in space ever since. NASA is now preparing for what will be the next human presence in space with plans to deorbit the International Space Station in 2031.
“We do constant maintenance on the space station. We're constantly sending our astronauts out for spacewalks and that's exactly what they're doing,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Suppose we didn't have commercial stations ready to go. Technically, we could keep the space station running, but the idea was to fly it until 2030 and deorbit it in 2031.”
When the International Space Station leaves orbit, it will re-enter Earth's atmosphere. Most of it will burn up, but some will survive the heat of re-entry.
“It's as big as a football stadium,” Nelson said. “We need to be able to pinpoint them very precisely in the graveyard of the South Pacific Ocean.”
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NASA Administrator Bill Nelson appears over a photograph of the International Space Station. (Fake Images)
This is the largest structure ever built in space. In the 1990s, the Russians were involved in selecting the orbit of the ISS.
“We're developing the deorbit vehicle well in advance, five or six years in advance. You never know with the things President Putin is doing. What's our relationship going to be like? Can we continue to rely on our partners on the space station to help us get down? So we're not taking any chances,” Nelson said.
NASA is now partnering with commercial companies from both the United States and allies around the world.
“Being on a space station operated by multiple governments has its limitations,” said Voyager Space's President of Space Stations and International Affairs Jeffrey Manber.
Voyager and its international partners plan to launch Starlab into a lower orbit.
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The company says it is more efficient and cost-effective than what the US and Russia agreed to in the 1990s.
“When you're a salesman, you don't have to be political like we had to be when we invited the Russians 30 years ago,” Manber said.
Like the International Space Station, Voyager's Starlab will remain an international base. The company collaborates with companies from all over the world.
A view of the International Space Station taken on March 30, 2022, by the crew of the Russian Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft after undocking from the Station. (Roscosmos State Space Corporation via AP, File)
“The Europeans are represented by Airbus, the Japanese are represented by Mitsubishi Corporation. We just announced that MDA Canada is taking charge of the robotic arm,” Manber said. “And of course we have the support of NASA. So it's very exciting how we've organized this to be truly international.”
NASA believes the shift toward commercial partnerships will also benefit national security.
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“You can see the abrupt separation of much of the free world from Russia as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Interestingly, the only part of the Russia-US relationship that still works is cooperation not only in the joint operation, maintenance and launch of astronauts and cosmonauts. It is a stable and smooth professional relationship,” Nelson said.
After a series of delays, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying Boeing's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft lifts off from Pad 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for NASA's Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crew Flight Test at 10:52 a.m. June 5, 2024 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Paul Hennessy/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Aside from the ISS, the only structure that houses astronauts in orbit is the Chinese space station. Beijing has been banned from the International Space Station, largely due to US concerns about the Chinese military's control over its space program. Russia plans to launch its orbital service station in 2027. India also hopes to have its own station in the near future. The US believes that moving away from government control in space will help benefit life on Earth.
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“When you orbit the Earth every 90 minutes, you don't see religious divisions on Earth. You don't see racial divisions. You don't see political divisions,” Nelson said. “What you see is our home, the planet. You see that we are all citizens of planet Earth. That's a unifying factor.”
