Spaceflight Tracker

ISS Live Tracker

Follow the International Space Station in real time as it orbits Earth at roughly 28,000 km/h, completing a full lap of the planet every 90 minutes. The map below updates its position every few seconds. Scroll down for an in-depth guide to the station, its crew, and the science happening aboard.

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The International Space Station: Humanity's Orbital Laboratory

The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest human-made structure in space and one of the most ambitious international scientific collaborations in history. Orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles), this habitable artificial satellite travels at 28,000 kilometers per hour (17,500 mph), completing one orbit around our planet every 90 minutes. This means the astronauts aboard witness 16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours as they circle the globe.

Spanning the size of a football field with its solar arrays fully extended, the ISS measures 109 meters (358 feet) across and weighs approximately 420,000 kilograms (925,000 pounds). The station's pressurized volume is roughly equivalent to a Boeing 747, providing about 388 cubic meters (13,696 cubic feet) of living and working space for its international crew. Since the first module launched in 1998, the ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2, 2000—making it the longest continuous human presence in space at over 25 years.

Construction and International Cooperation

The ISS represents unprecedented international cooperation in space exploration, with five space agencies collaborating on its construction, operation, and scientific program: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (European Space Agency representing 22 countries), and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). Assembly required more than 40 missions and took over a decade, with modules, components, and systems launched incrementally and assembled in orbit by spacewalking astronauts and robotic arms.

Russian Segment

Includes Zvezda (living quarters), Zarya (cargo and propulsion), Nauka (multipurpose laboratory module), and several docking ports. Provides life support, propulsion, and crew accommodations.

US Segment

Features Destiny laboratory, Quest airlock, Tranquility node with Cupola observation module, and commercial docking ports. Houses primary research facilities and exercise equipment.

International Modules

Includes Columbus laboratory (ESA), Kibo laboratory (JAXA) with external platform, and Canadarm2 robotic arm (CSA). Each contributes unique scientific capabilities.

Life Aboard the Space Station

Living in microgravity presents unique challenges and requires extensive adaptation. Astronauts' typical day begins at 6:00 AM GMT and includes 6.5 hours of scheduled work time, 2.5 hours of physical exercise (mandatory to prevent muscle atrophy and bone density loss), time for meals and personal hygiene, and scientific research. The crew must exercise rigorously using specialized equipment—the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) and the Treadmill with Vibration Isolation Stabilization (TVIS)—to counteract the effects of prolonged weightlessness, which can cause astronauts to lose up to 1% of bone mass per month without countermeasures.

Water and oxygen are precious resources continuously recycled through the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS). The Water Recovery System reclaims about 90% of all water-based liquids, including crew urine and sweat, purifying them back into drinking water—a process astronauts joke about as "yesterday's coffee becoming tomorrow's coffee." The Oxygen Generation System electrolyzes water to produce breathable oxygen, while carbon dioxide scrubbers remove exhaled CO2 from the atmosphere. Despite these systems, regular cargo resupply missions from SpaceX Dragon, Northrop Grumman Cygnus, and Russian Progress vehicles remain essential, delivering fresh food, equipment, experiments, and spare parts every few months.

Scientific Research and Discoveries

The ISS serves as a unique microgravity and space environment research laboratory where scientists conduct experiments impossible to replicate on Earth. Research aboard the station has led to breakthroughs in multiple fields, with over 3,000 scientific investigations conducted since operations began, involving researchers from more than 100 countries. The microgravity environment allows protein crystals to grow larger and more perfect than on Earth, enabling detailed structural analysis that has accelerated drug development for diseases including cancer, muscular dystrophy, and Alzheimer's.

Human Health Research

Studies examine how long-duration spaceflight affects the human body, including bone density loss, muscle atrophy, vision changes, immune system suppression, and cardiovascular adaptation. This research is critical for planning future missions to Mars and beyond.

Notable experiments include the Twins Study, which compared astronaut Scott Kelly (who spent nearly a year in space) with his identical twin Mark Kelly (who remained on Earth), revealing insights into genetic expression changes during spaceflight.

Materials Science

Manufacturing processes in microgravity produce materials with unique properties impossible to achieve on Earth. Experiments have created stronger metal alloys, more uniform semiconductor crystals, and innovative optical fibers by eliminating convection and sedimentation effects.

The Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) exposes samples to the harsh space environment to test durability for future spacecraft materials.

Earth Observation

The ISS provides a unique vantage point for studying Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land surfaces. Instruments monitor climate change, track hurricanes and severe weather, study lightning phenomena, and capture high-resolution imagery for disaster response. The ECOSTRESS instrument measures plant water use and heat stress, while GEDI creates 3D maps of forests to understand carbon storage.

Technology Demonstrations

The ISS serves as a testbed for technologies needed for deep space exploration, including advanced life support systems, robotic servicing capabilities, 3D printing in space, and experimental propulsion systems. Commercial companies test new technologies and manufacturing processes in the unique environment.

Beyond purely scientific research, the ISS has become a platform for commercial development and space industry growth. NASA has opened the station to commercial opportunities, including pharmaceutical manufacturing, materials production, and even space tourism through partnerships with companies like Axiom Space. These commercial activities help offset operational costs while demonstrating the economic potential of low Earth orbit.

The Future of the ISS

While the ISS is currently approved for operation through at least 2030, discussions about its eventual retirement and replacement have begun. NASA is supporting development of commercial space stations that could succeed the ISS, with companies like Axiom Space planning to attach commercial modules to the existing station before eventually separating to form independent facilities. The lessons learned from over three decades of ISS operations—from international cooperation frameworks to life support technologies to long-duration spaceflight effects on human health—will inform the design of future space stations and support humanity's expansion into deep space, including planned missions to the Moon through the Artemis program and eventual crewed missions to Mars.