MOSCOW, Russia / Rank Wire / – Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos has announced that international collaborators have approved a unified mission plan to facilitate the controlled deorbit of the International Space Station (ISS). This plan involves the coordinated use of two Russian Progress cargo spacecraft and the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle developed by SpaceX. The arrangement establishes a shared propulsion and navigation system between Roscosmos and NASA to ensure the safe and precise re-entry of the orbiting laboratory, preserving the integrity of the international partnership involved in the process.
According to Roscosmos, the station’s descent will commence in 2028, with the entire deorbit process estimated to span around two years. The procedure will blend natural atmospheric drag, intentional altitude adjustments using existing thrusters, and a final targeted re-entry maneuver. NASA’s publicly available transition plan indicates that the crew will be evacuated prior to the final burn commanded by operators. This maneuver aims to guide any remaining debris into a remote ocean zone, minimizing risks to people and property, rather than permitting an uncontrolled descent from low Earth orbit at the conclusion of station operations.
Additionally, Russia and the United States are planning to create a bilateral agreement outlining responsibilities during the deorbit operation. NASA emphasizes that the safe disposal of the station is a shared duty among the five agencies managing it: NASA, Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. The program specifies the vehicle configuration, while the bilateral document will define operational accountability between Roscosmos and NASA throughout the multi-phase deorbit process. Under NASA’s decommissioning plan, no crew members will remain onboard during the final re-entry burn.
Russia and US coordinate station retirement
In June 2024, NASA selected SpaceX to develop and supply the uncrewed U.S. Deorbit Vehicle after studies indicated that existing station propulsion systems and Progress spacecraft alone did not provide enough margin for a controlled re-entry. An assessment from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, published in July 2026, reported that NASA’s cost baseline for the project was set at $1.2 billion in February. This total includes the reported $843 million SpaceX contract, future launch vehicle procurement, and NASA workforce expenses necessary for spacecraft certification for docking and station operations. The readiness for delivery is targeted for October 2028, with a launch planned for mid-2029.
The U.S. vehicle integrates a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft equipped for rendezvous and docking, with an enlarged trunk that carries the propulsion system needed for descent. Design modifications have included adjustments to the Dragon’s power system, additional shielding, and updates to the trunk’s solar array configuration, as detailed in the GAO report. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the station roughly 18 months before re-entry and will stay attached through the final phase. NASA will own and operate the vehicle, while the agency’s Launch Services Program will separately secure the rocket necessary to place it in orbit and reach the station.
Crew departure prior to the final re-entry burn
Since beginning assembly in 1998, the International Space Station has maintained a continuous human presence since November 2000. The station’s mass is approximately 430,000 kilograms, covering an area comparable to a football field, and orbits at about 415 kilometers in low Earth orbit. Its systems are interconnected: the Russian segment and Progress spacecraft handle propulsion, reboosts, debris avoidance, and attitude control, while U.S. gyroscopes manage routine orientation during normal operations. These relationships form the basis of the joint deorbit architecture, requiring meticulous coordination among participating agencies.
NASA’s current transition plan aims to retire the station and execute re-entry maneuvers by 2030. A June 2026 GAO report states that the agency is considering whether to launch the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle in 2029 or extend station operations into that year. Structural analyses support continued operations through 2028, with further assessments planned for the subsequent period. Under the multinational program revealed by Roscosmos, the orbital lowering will begin in 2028 and span approximately two years, ending with a controlled atmospheric breakup designed to deposit debris into a remote ocean area.