Though the International Space Station is meant to be replaced in the 2030s, it will take a long time for the orbiting lab to officially reach the end of its life, NASA says. SpaceX 's newly commissioned reentry vehicle will only push the International Space Station (ISS) into Earth's atmosphere some 12 to 18 months after the complex "drifts down" from its normal orbit. "We'll leave the crew on board as long as possible, so they're available to help maintain station and keep it healthy," NASA 's Dana Weigel, ISS program manager, told reporters today (July 17) in a livestreamed briefing of the reentry plan.
"Our plan is for [the astronauts] to leave about six months before the final reentry, as ISS reaches about 220 kilometers [136 miles]," Weigel said, explaining that's as low as human vehicles are typically rated to fly. For comparison, the typical ISS orbit is 250 miles (400 km) above Earth. Read more: ISS could 'drift down' for a year before SpaceX vehicle destroys it in Earth's atmosphere NASA will hold its next spacewalk no earlier than July 29 after a coolant leak halted the last excursion June 24.
Agency officials announced the date on the International Space Statio n blog from NASA , after saying in a teleconference on Friday (June 28) that they planned an extravehicular activity (EVA) at the end of July. A time of day is not yet available for the excursion. "This change allows teams on the ground to continue to troubleshoot and understand the water leak in the servic.