Utilize the ISS as a resource: a common sense, fiscally responsible plan leveraging the International Space Station

NASA plans to spend approximately $1 billion of taxpayer money to destroy the International Space Station (ISS) in 2030. The ISS contains over $1.5 billion worth of space-grade materials already in orbit. Instead of throwing this asset away, we should redirect that funding to develop the technology to recycle it. This approach saves a valuable asset, prevents wasteful spending and seeds a new, American-led industry in space, ensuring our economic and strategic leadership over competitors like China.

Over the last decade, led by U.S. companies, the commercial satellite industry has ramped to exponential growth — both in economic terms and in mass accumulation in Earth orbit. This industry has provided a critical pillar of orbital infrastructure upon which a thriving orbital economy is bein