NASA astronaut Sunita Williams pushed back against a recent suggestion from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) sooner and said that she believes the ISS should remain in operation until at least 2030. Williams on Tuesday spoke to the reporters from aboard the ISS and emphasised the valuable science still being conducted on the station, saying, “It’s not the right time” to shut it down.
NASA currently plans to deorbit the ISS by the end of the decade, with a controlled crash into the Pacific Ocean. Last year, SpaceX secured a contract worth over $800 million to support the process.
‘We’re actually in our prime right now’
When the reporters asked the Sunita William about the condition of the aging station and whether it could remain operational through 2030, Williams responded enthusiastically, “This place is ticking. It’s just really amazing. So I would say we’re actually in our prime right now. We’ve got all the power, all of the facilities up and operating. So I would think that right now is probably not the right time to call it quits.”
Williams also expressed surprise at the sheer volume of research still happening on board. “We have probably till 2030 in our agreements. And I think that’s probably really accurate, because we should make the most of this space station for our taxpayers and for all of our international partners, and hold our obligations and do that world-class science that this laboratory is capable of,” she added.
‘Let’s go to Mars’ – Musk pushes for early ISS shutdown
Meanwhile, last month, Elon Musk stated that the ISS offers “very little incremental utility” and suggested that deorbiting should happen sooner, within the next two years.
“It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the @Space_Station. It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility. Let’s go to Mars,” Musk posted on X.
When asked if he meant deorbiting before 2030, Musk clarified that the decision ultimately rests with the President. “The decision is up to the President, but my recommendation is as soon as possible. I recommend 2 years from now,” Musk said.
The ISS, whose first module launched in November 1998, has expanded to 16 modules over the past 25 years. However, wear and tear from decades in orbit has taken a toll, raising questions about how long the station can safely operate — and underscoring the need to plan for the future of human presence in low-Earth orbit.