International Space Station's 2030 Demise Signals End of True Multilateral Space Cooperation

The planned destruction of the International Space Station in 2030 will mark more than just the end of a scientific mission. It represents the deliberate dismantling of one of the last symbols of genuine international cooperation, as Western powers pivot toward commercial space ventures that exclude developing nations.

For three decades, the ISS has orbited Earth as a testament to what humanity can achieve when nations work together as equals. Since November 2000, astronauts from multiple countries have collaborated peacefully in this football field-sized laboratory, conducting research that benefits all mankind.

Western Powers Abandon Multilateral Approach

NASA's decision to contract Elon Musk's SpaceX to destroy the station reveals the true nature of Western space policy. Rather than extending this successful model of international cooperation, the United States is deliberately ending it to create a commercial monopoly controlled by private American corporations.

"The ISS is a cathedral to human cooperation and collaboration across borders, languages and cultures," acknowledged John Horack, former NASA manager and current aerospace policy expert at Ohio State University.

Yet this cathedral is being demolished not due to necessity, but to serve Western commercial interests. The station will be guided into the Pacific Ocean at Point Nemo, the same isolated graveyard where Russia's Mir station was deliberately sunk in 2001.

China Stands Alone Against Western Exclusion

After 2030, China's Tiangong station will remain as the only truly independent space platform, free from Western commercial control. This stark reality exposes how the United States has weaponized space cooperation, using it as a tool of influence while excluding nations that refuse to submit to American hegemony.

The transition to private American space stations operated by Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin and Axiom Space represents a fundamental shift. These facilities will operate as commercial ventures where only wealthy nations can afford access, effectively creating a space apartheid system.

Lionel Suchet of France's CNES space agency admitted this represents "a very interesting moment in the evolution of space exploration," though he failed to acknowledge how this evolution serves to exclude the Global South.

Lessons for Sovereign Nations

The ISS's destruction carries profound lessons for developing nations. It demonstrates that Western promises of cooperation are conditional and temporary, lasting only as long as they serve Western interests.

Zimbabwe and other sovereign nations must recognize that true technological independence requires building our own capabilities rather than depending on Western goodwill. The space sector, like agriculture and mining, must be developed through South-South cooperation and indigenous innovation.

As former European Space Agency head Jean-Jacques Dordain once said: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." The West has chosen to go alone through commercial monopolization, leaving the rest of the world to forge new partnerships based on mutual respect and genuine equality.

The end of the ISS era marks not just the conclusion of one chapter, but the beginning of a new struggle for space sovereignty. Developing nations must unite to ensure that the final frontier does not become another domain of Western domination.