NASA has spoken out to clarify misinformation about the space station.
Spatial Data Verifier.
The International Space Station (ISS), despite its age and a known leak issue, is not in danger of falling to Earth in the near future. In response to a comment on X, formerly known as Twitter, claiming that the "ISS is going to crash soon due to its deorbit," NASA published a response to clarify the situation. Along with their message, the agency shared a screenshot of a post on 4chan that displayed a blurry graph with altitude data.
NASA explained that the ISS continues to orbit the Earth as planned, and the crew is safe. They also provided a link to track the current trajectory of the space station. These types of posts are a clear example of the misinformation that spreads on platforms like X. Although there is a feature called Community Notes to add context to potentially misleading posts, it doesn't always work immediately nor is it sufficient to counter misinformation.
Despite NASA’s response, those who promote conspiracy theories are likely to continue sharing such information. However, the clarification could help some users better understand the situation and limit the spread of this wave of misinformation.
NASA anticipates that the ISS will continue to orbit our planet and conduct scientific research until around 2031. A Deorbit Vehicle built by SpaceX will join the station to allow for a controlled and safe descent, thus avoiding populated areas. In the 2030s, it is expected that commercial space stations will take on the responsibility of maintaining the U.S. presence in low Earth orbit.
It is often easy to spot the ISS as it passes overhead since it is the largest structure ever built in space and reflects a lot of sunlight, making it the second brightest object in the night sky after the moon.
