And SpaceX now owns the only commercial spacecraft in the world currently capable of ferrying astronauts back and forth from the ISS. Several privately owned spacecraft are either flying or under development to service the space station. It will mark the end of an era for a hallmark program that put scientific research and international collaboration at its center.Īnd the space station has also been an early incubator for companies testing the waters for potential business activity in space, serving as the platform for contracts given to a young SpaceX - at a time when the company was nearly bankrupt - and dozens of other startups and corporations. The most recent roadmap for decommissioning the ISS was published this week, and it lays out a plan to bring the space station out of orbit in January 2031, plunging it into a watery grave in a remote area of the Pacific Ocean. ![]() All of that makes mapping out the future of low-Earth orbit in a post-ISS world more pressing than ever. The letters represent compass directions - N is north, WNW is west by northwest, and so on.ĭisappears represents where in the night sky the International Space Station will leave your field of view.Since the earliest days of the International Space Station, NASA has been exploring ways to get the private sector more involved, with the hope of bringing a capitalistic bent to a program that eats up a couple billion dollars worth of taxpayer money each year.īut now the ISS is aging, cracks are appearing in its facade, spaceborne debris is hammering the exterior, and tensions between the United States and its primary ISS partner, Russia, are at all time highs. This value, like maximum height, also is measured in degrees from the horizon. If you hold your fist at arm's length and place your fist resting on the horizon, the top will be about 10 degrees.Īppears is the location in the sky where the station will be visible first. ![]() The horizon is at zero degrees, and directly overhead is ninety degrees. It represents the height of the space station from the horizon in the night sky. Max Height is measured in degrees (also known as elevation). Visible is the maximum time period the space station is visible before crossing back below the horizon. This is the optimum viewing period as the sun reflects off the space station and contrasts against the darker sky. All sightings will occur within a few hours before or after sunrise or sunset. Time is when the sighting opportunity will begin in your local time zone. ![]() What does all this sighting information mean? The following ISS sightings are possible from Friday through Sunday Date
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