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    NASA · Roscosmos · ESA · JAXA · CSA · Space station

    International Space Station

    A modular orbiting laboratory built by five partner agencies and continuously crewed since November 2000. It circles Earth about every 92 minutes at roughly 7.66 km/s.

    ActiveContinuously crewed since 2 November 2000. NASA plans to retire and deorbit the station around 2030.

    Launch date

    1998-11-20

    Destination

    Low Earth orbit (~400–420 km, 51.6° inclination)

    Agencies

    NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, CSA

    Objectives

    • Microgravity research in biology, physics and materials
    • Long-duration human spaceflight studies
    • Technology demonstration for exploration

    Spacecraft

    Pressurised modules, truss and solar arrays with a mass of about 420 tonnes and a span of about 109 m

    Scientific instruments and systems

    • Columbus, Kibō and Destiny laboratories
    • External payload platforms
    • Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02)

    Timeline

    1. 1998-11-20Zarya, the first module, launched
    2. 2000-11-02Expedition 1 crew arrived; continuous occupation begins
    3. 2011US segment assembly completed
    4. 2020-05-30First crewed commercial launch to the ISS (SpaceX Demo-2)

    Major achievements

    • More than 25 years of continuous human presence in orbit
    • Hosted astronauts from more than 20 countries

    Status reviewed 2026-10-23. For official images and the latest updates, visit the agency pages listed under Sources.