Operations through 2030
NASA says it has committed to fully use and safely operate the ISS through 2030 while transitioning low Earth orbit services to commercially owned and operated platforms.
Start with the public record
NASA's baseline is controlled deorbit.
Any alternative has to begin by respecting the published safety, structural and international-partner logic behind the current transition plan.
Known facts
The station is being planned towards a responsible end-of-life disposal.
SpaceX U.S. Deorbit Vehicle
NASA selected SpaceX to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle. NASA will take ownership after development and operate it for the mission.
US$843 million baseline
The single-award contract has a total potential value of US$843 million. NASA says the launch service will be a future procurement.
Shared partner responsibility
The safe deorbit is a shared responsibility of the five space agencies that have operated the station: NASA, CSA, ESA, JAXA and Roscosmos.
Official baseline: NASA U.S. Deorbit Vehicle release and NASA ISS transition FAQ.
Constraints
NASA has already named the hard parts.
Disassembly is not simple
The station was assembled across many missions and EVAs, and NASA says its major modules and truss elements were not designed for easy disassembly in space.
Boosting is not a free lunch
NASA has examined higher-orbit preservation and published large delta-v differences between controlled deorbit, a 100-year target orbit and a 10,000-year target orbit.
Safety is the first bar
Controlled deorbit is intended to avoid populated areas on Earth and manage the debris footprint in a remote ocean area.