---
title: "Space Station Turns 25, Just in Time to Die"
description: "The International Space Station is celebrating its 25th birthday even as NASA prepares to put it out to pasture. "
date: "2023-12-07"
modified: "2023-12-07"
authors:
  - name: "Noor Al-Sibai"
    job_title: "Senior Staff Writer"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-station-anniversary-death"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "international space station"
  - "iss"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# Space Station Turns 25, Just in Time to Die

![The International Space Station is celebrating its 25th birthday even as NASA prepares to put it out to pasture. ](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/space-station-anniversary-death.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Getty / Futurism\</em\>*

## Death Note

The International Space Station is celebrating its 25th birthday — even as NASA prepares to put it out to pasture.

In a [live-streamed talk](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6guhKg2Rco0>) pegged to the quarter-century anniversary of the ISS, the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the floating habitat took questions about a variety of topics, including the detritus that's accumulated in the station's [Unity Module](<https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/unity-module/>), the look of lightning from above the Earth, and the spirit of international cooperation.

But one topic notably didn't make the list: the station's projected demise as it careens towards its inevitable end.

Indeed, NASA has quietly been preparing to "retire" the space station — which was [only designed to support operations for 15 years](<https://www.universetoday.com/153491/nasa-plans-to-retire-the-space-station-in-2030-and-replace-it-with-commercially-owned-destinations-in-low-earth-orbit/>) but has now gone on for a whole other decade — by the end of 2030.

## Sunsetting

While the agency is openly discussing plans to replace the ISS with commercially-owned "[destinations](<https://oig.nasa.gov/docs/IG-22-005.pdf>)," there's been relatively little talk about what has to be done between now and then.

And officials are already concerned about the possibility of something going wrong before NASA has a chance to come up with a safe plan to retire the station.

"The day will inevitably come when the station is at the end of its life — and we may not be able to dictate that day — it is inconceivable to allow the station to deorbit in an uncontrolled manner," explained Patricia Sanders, the chair of NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, during a press conference in late October, as quoted by [*Space Policy Online*](<https://spacepolicyonline.com/news/nasa-safety-panel-issues-clarion-call-for-iss-deorbit-tug/>).

"\[The station\] is simply too massive and would pose extreme hazard to populations over a broad area of Earth," Sanders continued. "This needs to be resourced and resourced now if we are to avert a catastrophe."

With all the [cracks](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-more-cracks-space-station>) and [leaks](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/another-russian-spacecraft-docked-iss-leak>) associated with its extended lifespan, NASA is, [per *Scientific American*](<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa-may-pay-1-billion-to-destroy-the-international-space-station-heres-why/>), going to have to [spend upwards of a billion dollars](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/destroying-space-station-cost-nasa>) to safely decommission the ISS so that it doesn't uncontrollably crash into the Earth below.

For all its wear and tear, there's a non-zero chance that NASA may look into extending the aging space station's lifespan should private sector options not be viable in time for its 2030 execution date.

"The timeline is flexible," Ken Bowersox, NASA's associate administrator for space operations, said [during a conference in early November](<https://spacenews.com/nasa-open-to-extending-iss-beyond-2030/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CNASA%20is%20transitioning%20to%20commercial,International%20Space%20Station%20in%202030.>). "It’s not mandatory that we stop flying the ISS in 2030."

"But, it is our full intention to switch to new platforms when they’re available," he added.

**More on space travel:** [*Scientists Have Bad News for Astronauts*' *Genitals*](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/bad-news-astronauts-genitals>)

## Author
At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/noorfromfuturism.bsky.social>)