{"id":9678,"date":"2025-12-05T22:44:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/international-space-station-prepares-for-new-commander-heads-into-final-five-years-of-planned-operations\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T22:44:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:44:15","slug":"international-space-station-prepares-for-new-commander-heads-into-final-five-years-of-planned-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/international-space-station-prepares-for-new-commander-heads-into-final-five-years-of-planned-operations\/","title":{"rendered":"International Space Station prepares for new commander, heads into final five years of planned operations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The International Space Station is pictured from the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft during a fly around of the orbiting lab that took place following its undocking from the Harmony module\u2019s space-facing port on Nov. 8, 2021. Image: ESA \/ NASA \/ T. Pesquet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After 25 years of continuous human presence, the International Space Station is heading into its final half decade of planned habitation.<\/p>\n

NASA and its international partners are planning to intentionally deorbit the orbiting laboratory around 2030 or shortly thereafter. SpaceX was contracted valued at up to $843 million to build the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), which will help guide the space station towards a splashdown in an uninhabited portion of the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Dec. 7 NASA astronaut Mike Fincke will assume the role of ISS Commander, taking over from Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov. The cosmonaut along with his colleague, Alexey Zubritsky and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, will then board their Soyuz spacecraft and undock Monday evening to complete their 245-day mission in orbit.<\/p>\n

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The seven-member Expedition 73 crew gathers together for a portrait on Nov. 27, 2025, celebrating NASA astronaut Mike Fincke\u2019s (center) 500 cumulative days in space over four missions since 2004. In the front from left are, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, and NASA astronaut Jonny Kim. In the back are, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Platonov and Alexey Zubritsky. Image: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With funding from the recent budget bill from Congress and renewed promise from NASA Administrator nominee Jared Isaacman to \u201cmaximize the scientific value of every dollar that Congress affords the agency,\u201d the space station will continue to be a bustling hub of science for its final five years.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) announced an extension of its cooperative agreement with NASA to allow the non-profit to continue managing the ISS National Laboratory through 2030. This allows CASIS, through the ISS National Lab, to continue managing up to 50 percent of the flight allocation on cargo missions and up to 50 percent of U.S. Operating Crew time for science backed by them.<\/p>\n

The ISS National Lab backed more than 940 payloads launched to the space station during the period of CASIS management, which began in 2011.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor nearly 14 years, NASA has entrusted CASIS with managing this incredible asset for our nation and for the benefit of humanity,\u201d said Ramon (Ray) Lugo, principal investigator and chief executive officer of CASIS. \u201cWe are honored that NASA has extended this unique partnership through 2030, and we will continue to work in collaboration, pushing the limits of space-based R&D for the benefit of life on Earth while driving a robust and sustainable market economy in space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Going to and fro<\/h4>\n

While the science planned for the ISS is in no short supply, the methods of getting it and its inhabitants to and from the space station is a trickier matter.<\/p>\n

The most recent wrinkle came in the wake of the Soyuz MS-28 launch. After NASA astronaut Chris Williams along with Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, the mobile service platform, which allows technicians access to the engine section of the rocket prior to launch, collapsed into the flame duct at Site 31.<\/p>\n

According to Russia-based journalist, Anatoly Zak, there are varying estimates of how long repairs could take, with at least one source telling him that it could take \u201cup to two years\u201d and that the immediate path forward wasn\u2019t clear.<\/p>\n