Deorbiting is the process of intentionally lowering a spacecraft's altitude until it re-enters Earth's atmosphere and either burns up or makes a controlled landing in a designated ocean area. The FCC and international guidelines increasingly require LEO operators to deorbit satellites within 5 years of mission end (down from the previous 25-year guideline) to mitigate orbital debris growth.
Controlled deorbits use onboard propulsion to target a specific re-entry corridor, typically over the South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area (SPOUA), also known as "Point Nemo." Uncontrolled re-entries rely on atmospheric drag to gradually lower the orbit, which can take months to years depending on altitude. The ISS itself is planned for a controlled deorbit using a dedicated SpaceX vehicle around 2030.