The International Space Station Science to Continue to the End of the Decade

The International Space Station (ISS) has undergone several extensions to its operational lifespan. Initially planned to conclude in 2015, a collaborative decision among partner nations extended operations to 2020 and subsequently to 2024. The United States has committed to maintaining its involvement until 2030 with other member nations, and Russia has reportedly aligned its operations to continue until 2028.

The space station plays a critical role in the study by space agencies of living and working in space environments. That information is useful to NASA and its partners as they begin to explore deeper into space.

The space station has also become a platform for testing and developing commercial technologies. NASA has promoted this activity by paying commercial companies to deliver supplies to the ISS crew, funding the development of crew transports, and allowing companies to test technologies on the station. Bigelow Aerospace's inflatable habitat was an example of such activity. The ISS also offers readily available space and power for remote sensing systems.

Another important role of the ISS is that it serves as a launching point for small satellites. As Smallsats increase in popularity, creative ways to deploy them are needed. One company, NanoRacks, installed a deployer on the space station. The satellites, which can be the size of a loaf of bread, are carried to the ISS aboard cargo transfer vehicles. They can then be easily deployed from the ISS, saving their satellite operators the cost of dedicated launch vehicles.

As much as the ISS has provided the Space community, plans have been announced that SpaceX will deorbit the station using a modified Dragon around 2030. Although this day will mark the end of an era, the science that the station has been providing and will provide will be invaluable for future endeavors.