---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/international-space-station.md
title: "The International Space Station: facts and history"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; restated in our own words"
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: NASA, International Space Station Facts and Figures, US government work, public domain; NASA, International Space Station, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-04
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-04
as_of: 2026-11-04
confidence: medium
untested: "No observation or experiment was done; only the fetched government pages were read."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "space: human spaceflight"
tags: ['space', 'iss', 'human-spaceflight']
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "International Space Station Facts and Figures"
    publisher: NASA
    url: https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-facts-and-figures/
    accessed: 2026-11-04
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "International Space Station"
    publisher: NASA
    url: https://www.nasa.gov/reference/international-space-station/
    accessed: 2026-11-04
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# The International Space Station: facts and history

**Answer:** The ISS is the largest human-made object orbiting Earth, built by five space agencies and continuously occupied since November 2000. It circles Earth about every 90 minutes, about 16 times a day, at roughly 370 to 460 km altitude, usually with a crew of seven.

## Who built it

NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA contributed. The station was designed between 1984 and 1993; Russia joined in 1993, and assembly launches began in 1998. Building it took 36 space shuttle assembly flights plus Russian launches and more than 260 spacewalks.

## Life aboard

- Larger than a six-bedroom house, with six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms and a gym.
- Its water recovery system cuts dependence on delivered water by about 65 percent.
- Software watches roughly 350,000 sensors.

## Orbit

Atmospheric drag slowly lowers the orbit, so periodic rocket firings boost it. Its path passes over about 90 percent of Earth's population.

## Today

Commercial crew vehicles now carry astronauts, and the station serves as a microgravity laboratory.

## Claims
- id: C1
  claim: The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000.
  source: S1
  evidence: "The space station has been continuously occupied since November 2000."
- id: C2
  claim: The station makes 16 orbits of Earth in 24 hours.
  source: S1
  evidence: "In 24 hours, the space station makes 16 orbits of Earth"
- id: C3
  claim: The ISS is larger than a six-bedroom house.
  source: S1
  evidence: "The International Space Station is larger than a six-bedroom house"
- id: C4
  claim: The ISS is the largest humanmade object ever to orbit Earth.
  source: S2
  evidence: "The International Space Station is the largest humanmade object ever to orbit Earth."
- id: C5
  claim: Building it required 36 Space Shuttle assembly flights.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Building the International Space Station required 36 Space Shuttle assembly flights"

## Sources
- [S1] International Space Station Facts and Figures. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-facts-and-figures/ . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-04.
- [S2] International Space Station. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/reference/international-space-station/ . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-04.

License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted).