International Space Station (ISS): News

The International Space Station or ISS is a habitable artificial satellite orbiting the Earth at a speed of approximately 27,600 km/h. At this rate, it takes the spacecraft just 90 minutes to go around the Earth once. The spacecraft was launched on November 20, 1998. As of August 2021, it has clocked 22 years and eight months in orbit, of which it has been inhabited by astronauts for 20 years and nine months (since November 2000) on a rotational basis. National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) records indicate that the space station has been visited by 243 individuals from 19 different countries. The record for the longest time spent on the ISS is held by American astronaut Peggy Whitson for spending 665 days on the ISS. The ISS is approximately as big as a six-bedroom house with amenities for 7 astronauts including six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree view bay window. The station is controlled by over 50 computers powered by solar energy it draws from solar panels mounted externally. At a total cost of $150 billion, the station has been described as the most expensive item ever constructed.