International Space Station to Descend into Earth’s Most Remote Location: Point Nemo
PACIFIC OCEAN – The International Space Station (ISS), humanity’s most ambitious and expensive science laboratory in orbit, is slated to meet its end in a location aptly nicknamed “point Nemo” – the most remote and inaccessible spot on Earth. This oceanic graveyard,located 2,688 kilometers from the nearest inhabited landmass – ducie Island in Polynesia – will become the final resting place for the station,marking the close of an era in international space collaboration.
Discovered in 1992 by Croatian engineer hrvoje Lukatela, Point nemo is so isolated that its only regular “visitors” are disintegrating space debris. It already serves as the final resting place for retired spacecraft, including fragments of the Soviet space station Mir which disintegrated in 2001, and also discarded Progress loading modules and various satellite components. NASA deliberately chooses this location for deorbiting spacecraft to ensure no risk to populated areas. The controlled descent of the ISS, anticipated in the coming years as international collaboration shifts towards privately-owned orbital stations, will see the massive structure burn up in the atmosphere before its remnants plunge into the depths of the Pacific.
The ISS’s descent will be a remarkable, albeit brief, event. As it re-enters the atmosphere, it will appear as an exceptionally luminous shooting star, visible for a few seconds before being consumed by flames. The resulting glow will linger for minutes as the ocean “swallows” the remnants of the station, adding another silent chapter to the history held within Point Nemo’s watery embrace. This marks the symbolic end of an era of international orbital laboratories and the beginning of a new phase dominated by smaller, modular stations operated in partnership with aerospace companies.
