NASA's International Space Station, which has orbited the planet since it was launched in 1998 and had astronauts from 19 different countries aboard, will be decommissioned in 2031 as it crashes into the ocean, according to the agency.
NASA announced its plans to have the station land in an uninhabited stretch of the Pacific Ocean in a press release. It also detailed an updated ISS Transition Report that shares the station's goals for the next decade, including the transition for all future low-orbit stations to be monitored by the private sector.
The ISS has helped NASA with scientific, educational, and technological developments as well as enabled the human races' ability to travel into deep space.
Before things are transferred to the private sector, the Biden administration has committed to extending the space station operations until 2030, keeping it working to better Earth's understanding of space through this decade.
As for NASA's role in future stations, Phil McAlister, the director of commercial space at NASA, shared the agency's plan to help guide the privatization of future stations.
"The private sector is technically and financially capable of developing and operating commercial low-Earth orbit destinations, with NASA's assistance. We look forward to sharing our lessons learned and operations experience with the private sector to help them develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective destinations in space," McAlister said.
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In its press release, NASA said it plans on being one of the many customers to benefit from commercial destinations.
"Commercial destinations, along with commercial crew and cargo transportation, will provide the backbone of the low-Earth orbit economy after the International Space Station retires," the press release said.
When the time comes for the ISS to "de-orbit," NASA plans on using a series of maneuvers to lower its altitude, being pulled out of orbit by the Russian Progress spacecraft, before landing in the South Pacific Ocean at Point Nemo.
As for the future of space, NASA is encouraging and incentivizing commercial companies taking over space duties in 2031 to help build the next generation of space pioneers with the students of today.
"The future of NASA's missions, to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, rely on the younger generation. Today's youth are tomorrow's Moon and Mars explorers. Today's youth are tomorrow's scientists, engineers, and researchers," NASA wrote.
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