SpaceX will utilize an enhanced capsule to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) when its operational period concludes around 2031, marking its 32nd year. NASA and SpaceX announced this plan to safely reenter the station into the ocean, rejecting alternatives such as dismantling it or transferring ownership. SpaceX secured an $843 million contract from NASA for this mission, making it the largest off-planet structure ever deorbited.

The ISS, launched in segments by Russia and the U.S. in 1998 with astronauts occupying it by 2000, is showing signs of aging. Contributions from Europe, Japan, and Canada expanded it to the size of a football field, weighing nearly 1 million pounds (430,000 kilograms). NASA aims for private companies to establish their own space stations by 2030, transitioning NASA's focus to lunar and Martian exploration. The plan includes maintaining research continuity, possibly extending the ISS's life if necessary.

Dismantling and returning the ISS to Earth or repurposing its parts for private outposts was deemed too expensive and hazardous. The station was not designed for in-orbit disassembly, and no current spacecraft can manage the task. Boosting the ISS to a higher orbit was also dismissed due to logistical complexities and increased space junk risk.

Regular boosts by visiting spacecraft keep the ISS at approximately 260 miles (420 kilometers) in orbit. To ensure a controlled reentry, a spacecraft will dock with the ISS and guide it to a remote section of the South Pacific or Indian Ocean. Surviving debris, potentially the size of a microwave oven to a sedan, will spread over a narrow 1,200-mile (2,000-kilometer) field. While three Russian supply ships were considered, a more robust craft was needed, leading to SpaceX winning the contract in June.

SpaceX will modify a Dragon capsule, typically used for supplies and crew transport, equipping it with a larger trunk housing 46 engines and over 35,000 pounds (16,000 kilograms) of fuel. This enhanced capsule must withstand atmospheric drag during descent. A powerful rocket will launch the capsule 1.5 years before the ISS's planned reentry. Astronauts will remain on board during its gradual descent, leaving six months prior to the final deorbit. The Dragon capsule will then guide the ISS down from about 137 miles (220 kilometers) in altitude, completing the process in four days.

NASA's Skylab reentered in 1979, with debris landing in Australia and the Pacific, as plans to attach a controlling rocket were unfeasible before the space shuttle's first flight in 1981. Russia's Mir station, operational for 15 years, was deorbited over the Pacific in 2001, following earlier Salyut stations.


NASA intends to retrieve small items from the ISS for museum display, such as the ship’s bell, logs, and patches, via SpaceX supply ships in the final years. Large components cannot be salvaged. NASA’s Ken Bowersox expressed a desire to save more, but acknowledged the practicality of a complete deorbit.

This outlines the careful planning and significant challenges in safely decommissioning the ISS while preserving its legacy through small salvaged items.