Russia and USA Finalize Plan to Deorbit International Space Station

The Russian state space corporation Roscosmos has officially announced that a detailed project for the deorbiting of the International Space Station (ISS) has been completed. The announcement was posted on the agency’s official website and confirmed by Roscosmos head Dmitry Bakanov ahead of talks with NASA leadership. "A program to bring the station down from orbit has already been developed. Experts estimate that the process will take around two and a half years," — said Bakanov. According to Roscosmos, the upcoming negotiations with NASA will address continued cooperation, including cross-flights, as well as a safe deorbiting strategy and the eventual controlled splashdown of the ISS in the Pacific Ocean.