CaliToday (04/10/2025): A beacon of international cooperation and a titan of scientific discovery, the International Space Station (ISS) has graced our skies for over two decades. But after a historic run, NASA and its partners are preparing for the station's final, fiery voyage.
The International Space Station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module’s space-facing port on Nov. 8, 2021. (Photo by NASA)
Since November 2000, the ISS has been a constant symbol of humanity's reach for the stars. It has maintained an unbroken chain of human presence in low-Earth orbit, a streak soon to reach 25 years, hosting astronauts from the United States, Europe, Canada, Japan, and Russia in a singular, collaborative mission.
But all great things must come to an end. In 2030, the ISS is scheduled to be deorbited, guided on a controlled descent to its final resting place in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean known as the spacecraft cemetery.
As an aerospace engineer who contributed to building hardware and experiments for the ISS, and as a member of the NASA community for 17 years, I know it will be difficult to watch this monumental achievement come to its conclusion. The ISS is perhaps one of humanity's most incredible engineering feats, a testament to what we can accomplish when we work together.
A Legacy of Discovery in Microgravity
Since its first modules were launched in 1998, the station has served as a world-class laboratory unlike any on Earth. The unique microgravity environment has enabled groundbreaking research across a vast array of fields—from materials science and biotechnology to Earth science and astrophysics.
More than 4,000 experiments have been conducted aboard the ISS, resulting in over 4,400 peer-reviewed scientific publications. These studies have fundamentally advanced our understanding of the world and improved life on Earth. They have:
Enhanced our understanding of thunderstorms.
Led to improved crystallization of critical anti-cancer drugs.
Detailed how to grow artificial retinas in space.
Unlocked new methods for processing ultra-pure optical fibers.
Demonstrated how to sequence DNA in orbit for the first time.
The ISS has unequivocally proven the value of conducting research in the unique environment of space—where the near-absence of gravity, the vacuum, and extreme temperatures allow scientists to study physical, chemical, and biological processes in ways impossible on the ground.
Passing the Orbital Torch: The Dawn of Commercial Space Stations
While the ISS will be gone, NASA and its international partners are not abandoning their outpost in low-Earth orbit. Instead, they are pioneering a new model for the future: transitioning from being owners and operators to becoming customers of privately-owned, commercially-run space stations.
This strategy builds on the resounding success of NASA's commercial cargo and crew programs, which have relied on partners like SpaceX and Boeing to resupply the ISS and transport astronauts. Applying this model to entire space stations is the next logical step.
In December 2021, NASA invested over $400 million in initial awards to three companies to kickstart the development of these commercial destinations. The goal is to have these new stations launched and operational before the ISS takes its final plunge.
Just last month, in September 2025, NASA issued its Phase 2 proposal announcements, outlining the next steps. Selected companies will receive funding to pass critical design reviews and, ultimately, demonstrate their stations' capabilities by hosting a crew of four in orbit for at least 30 days. After rigorous safety certification, NASA will be able to purchase missions and services on these stations, just as it buys seats on a SpaceX Dragon today.
While these new American-led commercial stations are under construction, China's Tiangong space station will continue to operate. A permanently crewed, three-person facility, Tiangong has already been in continuous use for nearly four years. If there is any gap between the ISS decommissioning and the launch of its commercial successors, China will hold the distinction of operating the longest continuously inhabited outpost in orbit.
In the Meantime, Enjoy the View
It will be several years before these new commercial stations are circling the globe at 17,500 miles per hour, and a few more before the ISS departs our skies in 2030.
So, while you still can, step outside and look up. On most clear nights, the ISS makes a spectacular pass overhead: a brilliant, silent point of blue-white light, often the brightest object in the sky, gracefully drawing a perfect arc across the heavens.
Our ancestors could never have imagined that one of the brightest lights in the night sky would one day be a creation of the human mind, built by human hands. Enjoy this magnificent view while it lasts.
Thế Anh
CaliToday.Net