Active mission

International Space Station

Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000.

Image: NASA/JSC

The International Space Station is a football-field-sized laboratory orbiting about 250 miles up, circling Earth every 90 minutes at 17,500 mph. Built and operated by the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada, it has hosted people without interruption for over two decades, the longest continuous human presence off the planet.

Crews of about seven conduct thousands of experiments in microgravity, from growing organs-on-chips to studying how the human body handles long spaceflight. Astronauts rotate up on SpaceX Dragon and Soyuz spacecraft, with cargo arriving on commercial resupply flights.

Nearly everything NASA knows about keeping humans alive in space for months at a time was learned on the ISS. That knowledge is the foundation for Artemis lunar stays and eventual Mars trips. It is also where commercial spaceflight grew up: the companies now flying crews cut their teeth on station contracts.

Key Facts

Continuously crewed since
November 2, 2000
Orbit
About 250 miles up, 17,500 mph, 16 orbits per day
Crew
Typically 7
Partners
NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, CSA
Size
About the length of a football field, 420 tons

Timeline

  1. November 1998

    First module, Zarya, launches

  2. November 2000

    Expedition 1 begins continuous habitation

  3. May 2020

    First commercial crew flight, SpaceX Demo-2

  4. Next up

    Operations planned through 2030, then commercial successors

Latest International Space Station News

Covered byNASASpaceflightNASAESASpace ScoutSpaceNewsNASA NewsSpaceflight NowEuropean SpaceflightSpacePolicyOnline.com
Soyuz MS-28 departs the ISS, three spacewalks install upgrades to solar arrays and antennae
NASASpaceflightAug 26, 2026

Soyuz MS-28 departs the ISS, three spacewalks install upgrades to solar arrays and antennae

Following the departure of the Soyuz MS-28 crewed spacecraft from the International Space Station on… The post Soyuz MS-28 departs the ISS, three spacewalks install upgrades to solar arrays and antennae appeared first on

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
NASA Sets Spacewalk for Station Maintenance, Live Coverage Planned
NASANASAAug 26, 2026

NASA Sets Spacewalk for Station Maintenance, Live Coverage Planned

NASA will provide coverage as two astronauts step outside the International Space Station on Tuesday, Sept. 1, to replace a spacecraft navigational aid and complete several maintenance tasks in support of space station o

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Second spacewalk completed for Sophie Adenot
NASAESAAug 26, 2026

Second spacewalk completed for Sophie Adenot

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Anil Menon successfully completed US EVA-98 at 20:57 CEST on Tuesday 25 August. It was Sophie’s second spacewalk, and the 32nd conducted by a European astronaut.

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Ukraine Strikes Soyuz Assembly Line, Raising Questions for Russian Spaceflight
Space ScoutAug 25, 2026

Ukraine Strikes Soyuz Assembly Line, Raising Questions for Russian Spaceflight

On August 15, 2026, the Ukrainian military attacked the factory used for manufacturing Russia’s Soyuz-2 launch vehicle, causing significant damage to the facility and raising doubts over the vehicle’s future.

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Astronauts Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot on Spacewalk
NASANASAAug 25, 2026

Astronauts Anil Menon and Sophie Adenot on Spacewalk

From left, Expedition 75 flight engineers Anil Menon of NASA (partially obscured and wearing the spacesuit with a red stripe on the legs) and Sophie Adenot of ESA (European Space Agency) work together during a six‑hour a

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Robotics and the future of on-orbit labor
SpaceNewsAug 24, 2026

Robotics and the future of on-orbit labor

In this episode, SpaceNews’ Mike Gruss interviews Icarus Robotics CEO and co-founder Ethan Barajas at the 2026 Small Satellite Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. They discuss why astronauts have […] The post Robotics an

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman at Freedom 250 Grand Prix
NASANASAAug 24, 2026

NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman at Freedom 250 Grand Prix

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NASA's program to return astronauts to the Moon and build toward the first crewed missions to Mars. Learn more →
International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
The Fuel for the Next Generation of Cislunar Exploration? Technology and Talent.
NASASpaceNewsAug 24, 2026

The Fuel for the Next Generation of Cislunar Exploration? Technology and Talent.

After NASA astronauts landed on the moon in 1969, their achievement bore decades’ worth of fruit, including scientific discoveries and a strategic national security advantage. Now — with plans to […] The post The Fuel fo

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Watch Sophie Adenot’s second spacewalk live
ESAESAAug 21, 2026

Watch Sophie Adenot’s second spacewalk live

After a successful EVA-97 on Tuesday 18 August, watch ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot venture into the vacuum of space for the second time on Tuesday 25 August, during EVA-98.

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
The View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments
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The View from Above: The Gemini Visual Acuity Experiments

NASA astronaut L. Gordon Cooper, Jr. took 29 color photographs of the Earth with a 70mm camera as he orbited our planet during the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission in May 1963. Cooper’s view from the window of his Faith 7 spacecr

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Behind the Lens: Meet NASA Johnson’s Photographers
NASANASA NewsAug 19, 2026

Behind the Lens: Meet NASA Johnson’s Photographers

Photographers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston have documented some of the most defining moments in human spaceflight. From astronaut training and engineering tests to mission control operations and milestone c

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Building the Moon Base: NASA Stories at the Ion
NASANASA NewsAug 11, 2026

Building the Moon Base: NASA Stories at the Ion

As NASA prepares to return astronauts to the lunar surface for longer stays and increasingly complex operations, building the Moon Base will require new ideas, advanced technologies, and expertise across many fields. Du

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
NASA Shares Station Research Today Supporting Moon, Mars Tomorrow
NASANASA NewsAug 11, 2026

NASA Shares Station Research Today Supporting Moon, Mars Tomorrow

The International Space Station has been busy throughout 2026, as it continues to be a bustling workspace for astronauts conducting a variety of scientific experiments that lay the groundwork for missions to the Moon and

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
NASA’s Lunar Development and Test Facility Prepares Artemis Hardware for Moon
NASANASA NewsAug 7, 2026

NASA’s Lunar Development and Test Facility Prepares Artemis Hardware for Moon

Before astronauts return to the Moon’s surface through NASA’s Artemis program, the hardware they depend on must first prove it can survive the unforgiving lunar environment. At NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, eng

Artemis
NASA's program to return astronauts to the Moon and build toward the first crewed missions to Mars. Learn more →
International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Blue Origin identifies engine issue behind New Glenn explosion
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Blue Origin identifies engine issue behind New Glenn explosion

The Aug. 5 update from Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp offered the first explanation for what caused the company’s 98-meter-tall (320 ft.) to explode at the pad on May 28.

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
New Glenn
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Taking Flight to Prepare for Space
NASANASAAug 6, 2026

Taking Flight to Prepare for Space

NASA astronaut Adam Fuhrmann (right, in yellow) prepares for a training flight aboard NASA’s WB-57 aircraft in this July 16, 2026, photo. These high-altitude flights train the crew to work in a tight environment and oper

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
NASA and Roscosmos continue seat barter agreement
NASASpaceNewsAug 6, 2026

NASA and Roscosmos continue seat barter agreement

NASA and Roscosmos have agreed to continue exchanging seats between Soyuz and Crew Dragon spacecraft, but that agreement does not yet extend to Starliner. The post NASA and Roscosmos continue seat barter agreement appear

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Commercial Crew
NASA buys rides: private spacecraft carrying astronauts to the space station. Learn more →
Advanced Mini-laboratories Automate Space Station Research
NASANASAAug 5, 2026

Advanced Mini-laboratories Automate Space Station Research

The International Space Station hosts hundreds of science experiments at a time. Some experiments can take hours to perform, and researchers need to account for astronauts’ limited time. Fully automated devices, like Red

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Voyager seeks relaxed requirements in NASA commercial space station RFP
NASASpaceNewsAug 5, 2026

Voyager seeks relaxed requirements in NASA commercial space station RFP

Voyager Technologies remains upbeat about the prospects for its Starlab commercial space station but is hoping for some tweaks to NASA’s plans to support the station’s development. The post Voyager seeks relaxed requirem

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Voyager 1 and 2
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Crew-13 pilot reflects on career, training, and upcoming science ahead of flight to ISS
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Crew-13 pilot reflects on career, training, and upcoming science ahead of flight to ISS

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International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Commercial Crew
NASA buys rides: private spacecraft carrying astronauts to the space station. Learn more →
Future of Crew Dragon weighs on commercial spaceflight industry
SpaceXSpaceNewsAug 4, 2026

Future of Crew Dragon weighs on commercial spaceflight industry

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International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Commercial Crew
NASA buys rides: private spacecraft carrying astronauts to the space station. Learn more →
ESA Astronaut Completes Third Test of EuroSuit Prototype Aboard ISS
ESAEuropean SpaceflightAug 4, 2026

ESA Astronaut Completes Third Test of EuroSuit Prototype Aboard ISS

ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot has completed a third and likely final test of EuroSuit, a European intravehicular activity (IVA) spacesuit prototype, aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The suit was developed unde

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
SpaceX Replacing MRAPs with Cybertrucks Beginning with Crew-13
NASASpacePolicyOnline.comAug 4, 2026

SpaceX Replacing MRAPs with Cybertrucks Beginning with Crew-13

NASA and SpaceX are getting ready to launch Crew-13 to the International Space Station in September. For the first time, if an emergency occurs on the launch pad and the […]

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →
Commercial Crew
NASA buys rides: private spacecraft carrying astronauts to the space station. Learn more →
Ike Theriot Helps Prepare Astronauts to Work on the Moon
NASANASA NewsAug 3, 2026

Ike Theriot Helps Prepare Astronauts to Work on the Moon

From serving in the U.S. Army to helping prepare astronauts to explore the lunar surface, Ike Theriot built a path to NASA through discipline and determination. Theriot serves as the Flight Operations Surface Testing le

International Space Station
Humanity's laboratory in orbit, continuously crewed since November 2000. Learn more →

Facts last reviewed 2026-07-11. Official mission page: nasa.gov