SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said that the International Space Station (ISS) should be de-orbited as soon as possible. In his opinion, this step should be taken in the next two years. “The decision remains with the president, but I recommend that this be done as soon as possible. My advice is in two years, " the media quoted Musk as saying.
The ISS has become the largest orbital project in the history of mankind. Its construction began on November 20, 1998, when the first module, the Russian Zarya functional cargo unit, was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome using the Proton-K launch vehicle. A few weeks later, on December 7, the American Unity module was docked to it, which was delivered by the shuttle Endeavour.
The first long-term expedition arrived at the station on November 2, 2000 on the Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft. The crew consisted of Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergey Krikalev, as well as American astronaut William Shepherd. Since then, rotating international crews have continuously worked on board the ISS, conducting scientific experiments and testing technologies needed for future deep space missions.
The station's service life is nearing completion, and the question of its future remains open. Musk believes that the time has come to focus on preparing for a flight to Mars and deep space exploration. However, the final decision on the fate of the ISS will have to be made by the world's space agencies and the leadership of the countries participating in the project.
