Elon Musk Calls for ISS Retirement, Sunita Williams Advocates for Its Future

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will undock from the International Space Station on Tuesday after a nine-month mission. Initially planned as an eight-day test flight aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, the mission was extended owing to unforeseen technical issues with the vehicle.

The Starliner, which conducted its inaugural crewed mission last year, bringing the astronauts to the ISS in June, suffered propulsion issues that made it unfit for the astronauts' return. Another path was then pursued, with Williams and Wilmore being assigned to Crew-9. At this point, preparations for their return are ongoing aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, which will also be taking the other two Crew-9 members along.

Sunita Williams Advocates for the Future of ISS Retirement

While aboard the ISS earlier, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams challenged SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's push for the early retirement of the iconic space station. “This place is ticking. It’s just really amazing,” Williams remarked during a press conference. “We’ve got all the power, all of the facilities up and operating. So I would think that right now is probably not the right time to call it quits.”

Williams highlighted that the ISS is in excellent condition and continues to be vital for scientific research, reaffirming that it should remain operational until 2030, as agreed with international partners. She also emphasized NASA's and its global collaborators' commitment to maintaining the ISS until at least 2030. We have probably till 2030 in our agreements. And I think that’s probably really accurate,” she said . “We should make the most of this space station for our taxpayers and for all of our international partners.” Current research aboard the ISS contributes to areas such as medical advancements, materials science, and space technology, impacting not just future missions but also life on Earth.

Musk Advocates for Early Retirement of the ISS

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has called for the early decommissioning of the ISS, claiming it offers "very little incremental utility." He shared his opinion on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that the space station should be deorbited within two years. "It’s time to start preparing for the deorbiting of the @Space_Station. It has served its purpose," Musk stated. He clarified that while the decision ultimately lies with the U.S. government, his recommendation is to focus on deep-space exploration.

Musk's position appears to align with SpaceX's intention on developing the Starship spacecraft for lunar and Martian missions. While he sees the ISS as aging infrastructure with increasing maintenance liabilities, Williams sees it as a center for global collaboration and innovation.