All partners in the International Space Station program agreed to extend its operation beyond 2024, as reported by NASA.
NASA announced that the United States, Japan, Canada, and the European Space Agency member states will back a station extension through 2030, while Russia plans to support operations through 2028. American officials emphasized continued cooperation with international partners to maintain a steady presence in low Earth orbit and to facilitate a smooth shift from the ISS to commercial platforms in the future.
Robin Gateens, who heads the ISS Division at NASA Headquarters, noted that extending the station’s activity would let researchers capitalize on more than two decades of experimentation and pursue even greater discoveries.
The agency’s press release also underlined a commitment to expanding the use of this unique platform for research and exploration.
The station’s long-term outlook
Despite the extension discussions, NASA has outlined a timeline in which the ISS would be retired from orbit around 2030–2031. This plan was articulated by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson during a hearing of the Science, Space and Technology Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Nelson explained that while the ISS may depart low Earth orbit toward the end of its life, private companies are expected to assume roles operating in space. He added that NASA is awarding contracts to several commercial firms to develop new space stations for ongoing activities in orbit.
NASA has long signaled confidence that the private sector possesses the technical and financial wherewithal to create viable alternatives to the ISS. Phil McAlister, Director of Private Sector Relations, stressed NASA’s intent to share lessons learned and experiences with private applicants to help them build safe, reliable, and cost-efficient orbital facilities.
According to NASA’s plan presented in early 2022, the ISS would begin a gradual deorbit in January 2031, reenter Earth’s atmosphere, and its debris would fall into a remote portion of the Pacific Ocean known as Point Nemo.
Russia’s position on future participation
In mid-2022, Moscow signaled an initial intention to withdraw from the ISS program after 2024, though no exact end date was set at that time. Later, Roscosmos indicated they would not rush the exit. On April 12, 2023, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov announced that Russia’s involvement would continue through 2028.
Borisov argued that the end of the Russian segment’s operation should align with the start of a new Russian orbital station project. He cited a target of around 2032 for the completion of a Russian orbital platform, with preliminary estimates placing the project’s cost at roughly 600 billion rubles. He added that the draft concept would be ready within the summer, and noted that a new orbital complex would enable Russia to pursue deeper space exploration, including lunar ambitions.
Vladimir Kozhevnikov, a leading designer of the Russian Orbital Station, suggested that creating a Russian counterpart might require less funding than the ISS, though he cautioned that exact costs were not yet known. The ISS has orbited Earth since November 1998 and has hosted hundreds of explorers from multiple nations, serving as a multi-purpose research hub for a wide range of experiments.
Current participation includes Russia, Canada, the United States, Japan, and ten European Space Agency member states: Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Switzerland, and Sweden.