International Space Station To Be Deorbited In 2031, Ending A 30-year Era Of International Cooperation

The International Space Station, long visible over Saudi Arabia and other regions, is approaching its final years. NASA confirms that the ISS mission will end around 2030, with plans to deorbit the complex into the Pacific Ocean in early 2031, closing more than three decades of continuous operations.

According to Jeddah Astronomy Society Director Majed Abu Zahra, the ISS now faces major structural and financial pressures. The station was built for about 15 years of service. By the end of this decade, it will have operated for more than 30 years, more than double its intended design life.

Abu Zahra explained that several core systems on the International Space Station are showing technical failures. Parts of the orbiting complex have suffered micrometeoroid damage, while air leaks and maintenance work continue to grow. These issues have helped drive annual operating costs for the ISS above $3 billion for NASA and partners.

With budgets under pressure, NASA plans to shift financial and technical resources away from the International Space Station. The agency intends to focus more on new lunar missions and long-term Mars exploration projects. Abu Zahra said this strategic change reflects wider plans for the next phase of human space activity.

The first ISS module was launched in 1998, starting a long period of international cooperation in orbit. Since then, more than 260 astronauts from many countries, including Saudi astronauts, have travelled to the station. Space agencies from the United States, Europe, Russia, Canada and Japan have worked together, despite political disagreements on Earth.

Abu Zahra highlighted that long-duration stays and experiments on the International Space Station generated important social and scientific insights. The missions tested how humans cope with isolation, microgravity and harsh environmental conditions. This research supports future journeys to the Moon and Mars, where crews will face similar physical and psychological challenges for extended periods.

The American D-Orbit spacecraft, developed by SpaceX, is expected to guide the ISS into the Pacific Ocean once operational work stops in 2030. Abu Zahra noted that this controlled deorbit is planned to limit risks to people and property, directing debris to a remote ocean area.

For Abu Zahra, saying farewell to the International Space Station is not only a technical step. The end of the mission closes more than thirty years of discovery and innovation, while also signalling the start of a new stage in commercial and scientific space activity that will shape future exploration beyond Earth orbit.

With inputs from SPA