SpaceX CEO Elon Musk suggested on Thursday that it is time to prepare for the deorbiting of the International Space Station (ISS), arguing that it has fulfilled its purpose.
“It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility,” Musk wrote in a post on X on February 20. He added, “Let’s go to Mars.”
Musk proposed an accelerated timeline for the ISS deorbit, saying, “The decision is up to the President, but my recommendation is as soon as possible. I recommend 2 years from now.”
The ISS, a joint project involving Nasa, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and Roscosmos, has been operational since 1998. It has continuously hosted astronaut crews since November 2000, supporting research for future deep-space missions.
SpaceX to deorbit the ISS
Current plans call for a controlled deorbit of the ISS in 2030, with a deorbit vehicle provided by SpaceX. However, Russia has said it intends to leave the ISS program earlier and is committed only through 2028.
Nasa awarded an $843 million contract to SpaceX in June 2024 to develop the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV). The vehicle, based on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, will dock with the ISS and guide it to a controlled deorbit over the South Pacific to minimize risks.
Musk’s statements on the ISS come amid his involvement with the US department of government efficiency (DOGE), an advisory group conducting an audit of the federal government. The audit has led to significant layoffs across multiple agencies, with more cuts anticipated.
Musk has long promoted Mars as the next goal for human spaceflight. In a December post on X, he dismissed the moon as “a distraction,” saying, “we’re going straight to Mars.”
Nasa, however, through its Artemis program, is currently focused on establishing a presence on the moon as a stepping stone to Mars.