More than 30 years after its launch in 1998, the death of the International Space Station (ISS) is already programmed.
This will take place in January 2031, NASA announced on Monday.
The US space agency also explained how it would unfold, reports the
Huffington Post.
After leaving its orbit, the ISS will join an oceanic cemetery of space debris.
This aquatic tomb is located at Point Nemo, the farthest region of the Pacific Ocean from any land surface.
This marine location is already home to a large amount of human space debris.
There are currently 263 of them. Stored there since 1971, the debris comes from the United States, Russia, Japan and Europe.
Mother of the ISS, the Mir station rests there today.
Watch out for landing
After their fall in space, the waste that joins the Nemo point does not remain intact.
“Space objects break into fragments upon entering the atmosphere.
That's why we have to plan a wide perimeter to ensure that all the fragments fall in a dedicated area, "explained Holger Krag, head of the department in charge of space debris, during a conference in 2013.
For its part, NASA claims that the ISS will make "a safe entry into the atmosphere".
However, the sea landing stage is not always well controlled.
This huge waste collection center was then seriously monitored by the Chilean and New Zealand maritime and air authorities.
The latter advise pilots and sailors to avoid the perimeter when an object must leave its orbit.
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