The Russian space station Mir, which had been in orbit for 15 years, was intentionally brought back to Earth on March 23, 2001. Launched on February 19, 1986, Mir was the first modular space station and served as a key platform for scientific research and human spaceflight for much of its time in orbit. Over the years, Mir faced several challenges, including a fire in February 1997 and a collision with an unmanned Progress cargo spacecraft in June 1997. The collision, involving a Progress spacecraft weighing 7,200 kilograms, damaged one of Mir’s modules and significantly reduced the station’s power supply, leaving it with about half its original capacity. Despite these setbacks, Mir remained operational until its final descent. The decision to deorbit Mir was primarily driven by financial constraints. By the late 1990s, Russia could no longer afford to maintain the aging station, particularly as the country shifted its focus to the International Space Station (ISS), a multinational project involving multiple countries. In 1999, the Russian government stopped funding Mir and transferred its operation to a private company called MirCorp. However, MirCorp struggled to attract investment for commercial ventures or space tourism, and the station remained largely inactive. The deorbitation was a carefully planned and executed operation. A Progress M1-5 cargo spacecraft was launched on January 24, 2001, and successfully docked with Mir on January 27. Over the next two months, the Progress spacecraft maneuvered Mir into a lower orbit, gradually bringing it back toward Earth. The descent began at an altitude of approximately 95 kilometers, during which solar panels and other components separated. As Mir reentered the atmosphere, it disintegrated due to intense heat and friction. About 10 to 20 percent of its original mass reached the Earth’s surface, with most of the debris falling into the Pacific Ocean, as intended. Mir’s deorbitation marked an important milestone in space operations, demonstrating how large orbital structures could be safely and intentionally brought back to Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) supported the mission, and the success of Mir’s controlled descent has since influenced the way other satellites and spacecraft are disposed of. While some questioned the decision to end Mir’s mission, many praised the precision and safety of the operation, setting a precedent for future space debris management.