ISS retirement and replacement

[VaPaL]

I just discovered that the ISS will end it's operation by 2024 or so. There are no plans to replace it, maybe ESA and Roscosmos keep their modules or create a new one. Anyway, I thought that ISS would remain 'forever' since once a module is wornout or out of date, it's possible to decouple it and replace by a new one. Deorbit the whole thing sounds like a waste to me, and without any solid plans to replace it or keep some of it, manned space flght will resume to plans to go to Mars. Nasa believes that private companies will pick up and replace the ISS somehow.

Well, this post it's kind of a mess, but my point is, why deorbit the whole thing and what could be the future of manned space flight near earth?

[Bill Phil]

There are some international laws regarding the amount of time something can be in space if it can be controlled.

Not only that, but they can't really replace some of the modules without spending a lot of money, not only getting a new module, but also playing space tetris with the modules just to get everything in the right place. Not only that but some equipment can't be easily replaced, even if no space tetris was involved. And they're the ones that need to be replaced the most. It's also expensive to keep running it...

[Nibb31]

54 minutes ago, VaPaL said:

I just discovered that the ISS will end it's operation by 2024 or so. There are no plans to replace it, maybe ESA and Roscosmos keep their modules or create a new one.

Russia has plans to disconnect their newer module (that hasn't launched yet).

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Anyway, I thought that ISS would remain 'forever' since once a module is wornout or out of date, it's possible to decouple it and replace by a new one.

No it isn't. It took over a decade to build and many systems are intertwined. It would be very difficult to disassemble any of the major parts, especially the oldest ones (Zarya, Zveda, Unity, and truss modules and solar array), which are at the core of the station. Without the space shuttle, there is no way to send up any major components for the USOS without the Shuttle.

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Deorbit the whole thing sounds like a waste to me, and without any solid plans to replace it or keep some of it, manned space flght will resume to plans to go to Mars. Nasa believes that private companies will pick up and replace the ISS somehow.

There is already a whole thread on the subject. You should read it and expand the discussion there if you have any further questions or remarks:

 

Edited June 23, 2016 by Nibb31

[VaPaL]

Thanks for the answers!

@Nibb31 I imagined that there was already a topic about this, but, for some reason, the search is broken here at work (along with other functions, must be due to some restrictions from IT guys). If some moderator could merge this to it or just close it.

[DDE]

On ‎23‎.‎06‎.‎2016 at 3:08 PM, Nibb31 said:

There is already a whole thread on the subject. You should read it and expand the discussion there if you have any further questions or remarks:

 

Wouldn't that be a necro, though?

[cubinator]

7 hours ago, DDE said:

Wouldn't that be a necro, though?

No, the defined "necro" period is three months, and it's only been one.