On Nov. 17, Russian officials gave their first decree to a proposal that aims to deorbit the Russian Space Station Mir in February.

The general director of the Russian Space Agency issued the go-ahead after a briefing. According to reports, the plan is to launch a final mission to the station in January for the ship to be refueled and emptied of salvageable hardware. Then, in the last week of February, the agency will deorbit the station with its final destination in the waters of the South Pacific.