Nasa’s plan to sink the ISS sparks concerns over ocean health and legal accountability

3 min readJun 24, 2026 06:59 PM IST

Ocean advocates say NASA’s plan to deorbit the ISS into the South Pacific leaves key environmental and legal questions unanswered. (File photo)

NASA’s plan to bring down the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of the decade is drawing criticism from ocean conservation experts, who say the agency’s strategy raises important unresolved environmental and legal concerns.

The ISS, continuously occupied since 2000, is expected to be retired around 2030. Under Nasa’s current plan, a specially designed US Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), being developed by SpaceX, will guide the football field-sized station into a controlled re-entry before debris splashes down in a remote region of the South Pacific Ocean known as Point Nemo.

Point Nemo, often referred to as the world’s “spacecraft cemetery”, lies farther from land than any other location on Earth and has long been used as a disposal site for decommissioned spacecraft. Nasa selected the area to minimise risks to populated regions.

However, Washington-based The Ocean Foundation argues that the plan highlights a significant blind spot in international law. While existing treaties require compensation when space debris damages property or territory on land, no equivalent protections exist for the open ocean.

“The ocean’s remoteness should not be mistaken for a lack of value or vulnerability,” said Mark Spalding, president of The Ocean Foundation, in comments published following a recent review of Nasa’s plans.

A newly released report from the US Government Accountability Office examined Nasa’s transition away from the ISS and noted that portions of the station and the deorbit vehicle are expected to survive atmospheric re-entry and fall into the Pacific.

Critics say the environmental impact of those surviving components remains unclear. While most of the ISS will burn up during re-entry, denser materials are expected to reach the seafloor. Scientists and environmental advocates argue that there has been limited public disclosure about which materials could survive and what impact they may have on marine ecosystems.

Story continues below this ad

Concerns also extend beyond the ocean surface. Experts are calling for further research into the atmospheric impacts of the ISS breakup, which will be the largest controlled spacecraft re-entry ever attempted.

The Ocean Foundation is urging Nasa and international regulators to conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment, publicly disclose the materials expected to reach the ocean floor, and clarify obligations under international maritime and environmental agreements.

The debate underscores a growing challenge for the space industry: how to responsibly dispose of increasingly large spacecraft while balancing safety, environmental protection, and international accountability.