'Let's go to mars': Musk makes fresh pitch to deorbit International Space Station

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Thursday (February 20) suggested it was time to prepare for deorbiting the space station, arguing it has served its purpose.

“It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility,” Musk wrote on X, adding, “Let’s go to Mars.”

It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the @Space_Station.

It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility.

Let’s go to Mars.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2025

While responding to an X user, Musk further stated that it was up to President Donald Trump to decide when to deorbit the space station but added he would recommend “2 years from now”.

The decision is up to the President, but my recommendation is as soon as possible.

I recommend 2 years from now.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2025

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Deorbiting here essentially means to remove the space station from the orbit and effectively from service.

Notably, the International Space Station (ISS) is scheduled to deorbit in 2030, following several extensions in its lifespan.

SpaceX will deorbit the ISS

Last year, SpaceX had won a $843 million Nasa contract to formally deorbit the retired ISS, using a powerful, souped-up capsule.

The plan involves burning the ISS completely upon its reentry in the Earth’s atmosphere and divert the residual towards oceans.

Why Musk wants to get rid of ISS?

The ISS is showing signs of ageing. Its first pieces were first flown to space by the US and Russia in 1998. It was within two years that astronauts finally moved up there.

Other nations too joined the ISS’s development. For instance, robotic arms came from Canada and some segments came from Europe and Japan.

Nasa now hopes private players would be able to launch their own space stations by the end of this decade. This strategy will help the US space agency to focus better on the Moon and Mars missions.

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Reactions on social media

While some users highlighted the need to remove ISS from the space to make way for private players, some recalled how ISS had been an area where US and Russia got along with each other the whole time.

“The ISS has been a game-changing classroom in low-Earth orbit, but real space progress means pushing onward. If it’s time to deorbit, let’s take all we’ve learned and fuel the next leap, to Mars and beyond,” wrote one user.

“I hope U.S & Russian Astronauts will continue to work together in future. People seem to forget…..  up there…. On the Space station.  The U.S & Russia have been getting along this whole time,” a second user said.

“Instead of destroying it, why not build it into an operational base to manufacture and launch rockets from,” a third user suggested.