The End of The International Space Station

Inside the universe's biggest ever demolition project.

Additional footage and images courtesy of NASA, ESA, Chris Brown Explores, SpaceX, Viktor Patsayev, Axiom Space, HAZEGRAYART.

Special thanks to @ChrisBrownExplores and @Hazegrayart

Research sources:

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00:00 Intro
01:51 Blast Off
03:33 The First Space Stations
05:22 The Birth of The ISS
07:31 Early Components
12:21 Life on Board
14:02 Station Overview
16:15 The Beginning of the End
17:44 Why Demolish?
19:20 Space Debris
20:13 Extreme Temperatures
23:00 Leaks
23:50 Alternatives to Demolition
27:00 Final Descent
29:06 The Future

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© 2025 The B1M Limited

[DLCoates]

The fact that this stations construction, life, and demolition will have all occurred in my lifetime is amazing.

[Esbbbb]

I really wish we would continue this as an international collaboration. That's a reminder how much humans could achieve together. A nice contrast to the current world...

[victorvandenbrink]

When I was a kid/early teen I was OBSESSED with the ISS and spacetravel in general. I always dreamed what it would be like up there and how amazing it must be to be weightless all the time. I followed the news on space launches and watched tonnes of documentaries. In elementary school I wrote like 6 different reports on space travel and the ISS and gave talks to my classmates on how it was constructed. I was the space kid.

I never did end up doing anything in aerospace as a career, unfulfilled potential maybe. But I'll still be sad to see it go. Its one of the few human endeavours that has been purely driven by innovation and collaboration. A testimony to what can be achieved when we stop focussing on our differences and come together to achieve something remarkible.

And as grand and as technically advanced as the station was and is. It still feels like the little station that could. Up there, tirelessly working and keeping our astronauts and cosmonauts safe. Giving us insights and discoveries to make life on earth better.

My only hope is this isn't the end of collaborative human exploration. With the state of the world now. I hope we can continue to work together to achieve similairly amazing feats.

[jonathanprovost]

We’ve reached space B1M. Fred: “Im here on the international space station”

[robertsmith]

My NASA career started shortly after Zaraya was launched. The first half of my career was working in the Space Station Processing Facility on the Kennedy Space Center. This is a bittersweet event! Thank you, B1M, for this and all your videos!

[pivotkid]

its a shame that future space stations will be owned by private entities rather than a collective effort by humanity. space conflicts will be inevitable.

[RobertOortwijn]

Didn't have B1M flexing his muscle on my 2025 card.

[GamingGrenade]

With arms like that, Fred could probably single-handedly _pull_ the ISS into the Earth's atmosphere

[Sedonapass]

Humans literally not wanting to work together and instead fight each other is just mental.

[folk.]

"As you prepare for your final descent, we pause to reflect on your extraordinary service. For decades, you've been a symbol of human collaboration and scientific endeavor. You've proven what we can achieve when we reach for the stars, together. Though your mission ends, your legacy will continue to inspire generations."

[BlurryEys]

Love the idea that it is born from cooperation and not from competition. Wish that we can again recreate this achievement.

[TheGary]

When I was but a child as seen in the pic on the left, I had the privilege of watching our species develop space travel as well as establishing this ISS in orbit, I imagined fantastic things happening in my lifetime such as habitation of the moon and mars.
Onwards to future generation who will no doubt see space flight the same way as I see my grandparents Gramaphone, old fashioned.
Yet I trust, also feel that it's in humanities heart and mind to push boundaries, to explore the great beyond.
My life is nearing its end now at 63 with progressive heart disease I am at EM hospital almost weekly, I feel elated that I was able to watch the Gemini and apollo mission lead the way for us all and look forward to seeing what develop as I may. Thank you for a wonderful and informative video. 👍
I hope that in some way I will be able to observe these fledgling steps become greater leaps as humanity in unity progresses. Godspeed to you all. <3

[johncamp]

Doing a space walk has to be the most stressful/exhilarating thing someone could ever do. I know you’re tied off, but still, I’ve been skydiving a few times and that first step off the plane takes guts. I just can’t imagine on the space scale.

[MichaelDuntz]

This video made me extremely emotional. All this human ingenuity and cooperation to become a fireball with no means of displaying what we achieved.

[SaintGangle]

Former SpaceX employee here

(edit: Wasn't fired, I left to go back to school. Best job I've ever had, and the best team I ever worked with. It was a very difficult choice to go back, but I think it was the right move)

For all those who are unaware, humanity has 3 new space stations in orbit and/or development right now as successors of the ISS:
1. China's Tiangong is currently operating in LEO, and is permanently crewed.
2. NASA's Gateway is the intermodal station that will orbit the moon. The central core is in development with future modules being built as part of the Artemis program.
3. VAST Space Haven-1 is currently being developed in partnership with NASA and SpaceX to operate as the LEO replacement. Core is set to launch in the next year.

The ISS gave us far more years that it was ever designed for. And as much as we want to keep it alive and running, the station is heavily outdated and too costly to update with modern systems. Destroying it in Earth's atmosphere is the safest, most efficient, and most cost/eco friendly way of retiring this station.

[JyntilJ]

Thank you for an outstanding documentary

[LewiBrom]

9:41 That cheeky and extremely subtle gainz boast ;)

[OliB]

I don’t know why, but even as an engineer it never really occurred to me that the ISS would have an end of life, let alone quite so soon. That will be a monumental and bittersweet occasion; a definite end of an era.

This was a great video, probably up there as one of your best - the 32 minutes flew by, and yet I can’t bring myself to like it. 😢

[dansamarco]

Every space-related industry becoming privatised is just fucking depressing. The era of technological innovation for the sake of humanity's collective future and good is over, now it's all in the name of profit.

[robcain]

The operational end of the ISS was an inevitable event, but symbolically it feels rather bittersweet in today's turbulent world.

The station was a symbol of global cooperation with multiple nations adding to it and sending their crews. Now countries want to build their own, most notably the US and China.