Here’s How NASA Will Dispose Of The ISS

screenrant.com:

Starting in 2030, the International Space Station will deorbit and burn over the South Pacific Ocean in an epic mission. NASA's ISS transition plan confirms the extension of the life of the ISS until 2030. It also sets a path for a "smooth" transition to private-sector space stations. The company Axiom will be developing a module for the ISS, which will later detach and extend with more modules to create a new space station.

Additionally, Blue Origin, Nanoracks and Northrop will develop free-flying stations before 2030. Then, they will sell space to NASA astronauts. Boeing and SpaceX are poised as the main cargo and crew transportation companies in this new space vision. Private companies jumped into the low-earth-orbit business as the commercial value of research in LEO became evident.

Related: Congress And NASA Clash Over ISS Future While China And Russia Keep Moving

With an estimated cost of more than three billion dollars, the deorbit of the ISS will be a spectacular event. The station, known for being a beacon of international cooperation, will be pulled down towards Earth by three Russian Progress spacecraft until it reaches a point-of-no-return. The event will last several months, from June 2030 to Jan. 2031. The final crew will be on station until Sept. 2030. Then, the spacecraft thrusters will line up the ISS to its final target as it makes its final descent into an uninhabited region in the South Pacific.

The deorbit is a process that needs to be gradual and slow to avoid losing control of the ISS. Issues like high solar activity can affect reentry as well. "Higher solar activity tends to expand the Earth's atmosphere and (could) increase resistance to the ISS' velocity, resulting in more drag and natural