Information
Explore history, facts, modules, and life on board International Space Station.
International Space Station
Five-agency partnership and long-duration microgravity lab.
The International Space Station is a permanently crewed laboratory in low Earth orbit focused on microgravity research, technology demonstrations, and international operations.
Crew capacity
7
Continuous occupancy with handover peaks above 7.
Mass
419,725 kg
Varies with visiting vehicles and cargo.
Altitude band
370-460 km
Typical boosted operational altitude.
Orbits per day
16
Roughly one orbit every 90 minutes.
Orbit and path
Inclination
51.6 deg
Period
about 90 min
Speed
about 7.7 km/s
Operator model
Five-agency partnership
Dimensions and volume
Length
51 m
Width
109 m
Across solar arrays
Pressurized volume
1,005 m3
Habitable volume
388 m3
Modules and layout
Core and service segment
Russian segment
Zarya and Zvezda provide foundational power, propulsion, and life-support capabilities.
Science labs
Research
Destiny, Columbus, Kibo, and Nauka host a broad range of long-duration experiments.
Airlock and observation
Operations
Quest supports EVAs and Cupola provides panoramic Earth and robotics views.
Timeline
Zarya launches
The first ISS element reaches orbit.
Continuous crew begins
Expedition 1 starts uninterrupted human presence.
Nauka added
A new Russian laboratory expands capability and docking options.
Science and life aboard
Research focus
Microgravity science
Supports long-running materials, biology, fluids, combustion, and human-health research.
Technology demonstrations
Validates hardware, operations, and commercial systems for future missions beyond LEO.
Life and operations
Continuous operations
Crew time is divided between experiments, maintenance, robotics, cargo, and exercise.
Good to know
Global visibility
The orbit crosses paths visible to most of Earth’s population over time.
All values are approximate and vary with configuration.