NASA's $1 Billion Plan to Safely Destroy the International Space Station

NASA estimates that it will cost nearly $1 billion to safely decommission the International Space Station (ISS) and ensure it harmlessly burns up in the Earth's atmosphere. The plan marks the end of decades of international cooperation and scientific breakthroughs in space. There are two options to get the ISS out of orbit: an uncontrolled descent or a more careful descent using a special spacecraft. Either way, minimizing the amount of debris that could fall on populated areas is a challenge, and NASA will need to develop a custom-built vehicle to accompany the station during its descent. The reliance on Russian vehicles adds complexity to the decommissioning process, given the worsening US-Russia relations.