According to NASA, the International Space Station (ISS) will continue working until 2030, before plunging into a part of the Pacific Ocean known as Point Nemo in early 2031. That’s the point farthest from land on earth, also known as the spacecraft cemetery. Many old satellites and other space debris have crashed there, including the Russian space station Mir in 2001. The ISS — a joint project involving 5 space agencies — has been in orbit since 1998 and has been continuously manned since 2000. More than 3,000 research projects have taken place in the microgravity laboratory. However, it’s only approved to operate until 2024, and any extension must be agreed to by all partners. NASA said the plan to retire the ISS marked a transition to the commercial sector for activities in low-Earth orbit — the area of space closest to Earth.
