WASHINGTON — NASA plans to burn the International Space Station in Earth’s atmosphere, before allowing the unburnt parts to crash into the ocean. Here are the details: <br /> <br /> <br />The BBC reports that NASA is preparing to burn up the International Space Station and letting the unburnt remains crash into a remote part of the Pacific Ocean. The news comes after the Biden administration said it had committed to extend the space station's activities until 2030. <br /> <br /> <br />NASA says the first part of the station’s termination will be to use the aging hulk as a platform for testing the modules that private companies will use to build their own private space stations. <br /> <br /> <br />Work on the ISS will continue as usual until 2030, but from 2026 the station will be allowed to gradually lose altitude. <br /> <br /> <br />Between June and November of 2030, three additional uncrewed cargo ships will dock with the station and use their engines to slow it down. <br /> <br /> <br />When the station reaches an altitude of 280 kilometers it will pass the point of no return, from where it won’t be able to return to a safe orbit. <br /> <br /> <br />It will then drop into Earth’s atmosphere, where most of it will burn up, with the remaining parts falling to Earth. <br /> <br /> <br />NASA plans to time the station’s descent so that the remaining parts will crash in the most remote part of the South Pacific. <br /> <br /> <br />NASA says it will save $1.3 billion by using private companies to provide platforms and astronauts for activities in low-Earth orbit. NASA says this money can then be spent on the exploration of deep space. <br /> <br /> <br />
