The International Space Station (ISS) is a science and technology research laboratory that orbits the Earth. It is the largest human-made body in low Earth orbit and can often be seen with the naked eye from Earth.

When was it opened?

The ISS was launched on 20 November 1998 by a Russian Proton-K rocket, with additional modules added during construction, which continued until 2011. The first component of the station, Zarya, was launched in November 1998.

On 8 December 2000, Zarya was docked to a U.S.-built Unity node module; this was followed by an unmanned Russian Progress supply craft on 31 May 2001. The first crew arrived on 2 November 2000 aboard Soyuz TM-31 under the command of American astronaut William Shepherd as part of Expedition 1.

This initial residency lasted for three months until March 2001 when it was replaced by Expedition 2 under Commander Sergei Krikalev for another three months.

Since then, both permanent and short-term crew members have continuously occupied the ISS. As of May 2019, there are currently six people living aboard the station: three Americans (Commander Drew Feustel, Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold and Flight Engineer Serena.

Last modified: August 1, 2022