Point Nemo stands as the most desolate and remote area in the world’s oceans, serving as the final resting place for defunct spacecraft.

This vast body of water extends over an area 34 times the size of France and has been designated for the disposal of space vehicles since 1971. Approximately 263 retired spacecraft, such as the Russian space station Mir, have been intentionally brought down and submerged here.

Come 2031, the International Space Station, which has been in operation since 1998, will join those spacecraft, settling approximately 13,000 feet below the surface, deeper than the famous Titanic wreck.

The South Pacific region, which lies furthest from any land, is named after Captain Nemo, the fictional captain of the Nautilus in Jules Verne’s 1870 novel “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” The term “Nemo” translates to “no one” in Latin.

Identifying the Location of Point Nemo

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Point Nemo, also referred to as the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, is located at the coordinates 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W, as reported by the National Ocean Service. It lies approximately 1,670 miles from the nearest pieces of land, which include:

• Ducie Island, part of the Pitcairn Islands, situated to the north.
• Motu Nui, one of the Easter Islands, located to the northeast.
• Maher Island, a section of Antarctica, lying to the south.

Point Nemo is renowned for its isolation, as highlighted by The Atlantic magazine. The area falls outside any national jurisdiction, lacks commercial shipping routes, and has no naval presence from any country.

Interestingly, it’s closer to outer space than most land areas on Earth. The Kármán line, which marks the boundary of space, is situated 62 miles above the surface. Astronauts aboard the ISS in low-Earth equatorial orbit fly within 200 to 250 miles of Point Nemo.

Point Nemo is characterized as a marine desert, influenced by the South Pacific Gyre, a substantial system of ocean currents that limits the influx of nutrients from land.

Reasons for the ISS’s Disposal in Point Nemo

At the end of its operational phase, the International Space Station will be returned to Earth through a controlled deorbit maneuver carried out by NASA. This operation aims to prevent landing near populated regions. NASA plans to utilize a SpaceX Deorbit Vehicle for this purpose.

What Spacecraft Are Laid to Rest Beneath Point Nemo?

In addition to Skylab and Mir, the following spacecraft have been confirmed to be at the bottom of Point Nemo, as reported by the BBC:

• Six Salyut space stations.
• 140 Russian resupply rockets.
• Six Japanese cargo transfer rockets.
• Five European Space Agency cargo transfer rockets.

While parts of the Skylab space station fell across Australia and the Indian Ocean during its reentry in 1979, other components are believed to rest beneath Point Nemo.