The International Space Station (ISS) is a multinational collaborative project which is the largest modular space station. Right now it is located in the low earth orbit. In this multinational exhibition premiere agencies from different countries are involved. The major stakeholders include NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.
Roscosmos is a state corporation of the Russian Federation responsible for space flights, cosmonautics programs, and aerospace research. The JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) is the Japanese national air and space agency. The ESA (European Space Agency) is an intergovernmental organization of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space. The CSA (Canadian Space Agency) is the national space agency of Canada which was established in 1990.
Let's get started with these cool facts about the International Space Station.
Interesting Facts About International Space Station:
- The ISS is the largest artificial object in space.
- It is the largest satellite in low earth orbit.
- It is a microgravity and space environment research laboratory. It serves as the laboratory for conducting research relating to astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, etc.
- It is the ninth space station that inhabits crew members.
- The International Space Station orbits with a speed of 7.66 km/s i.e. 27,600 km/h; 17,100 mph.
- The orbit height (Apogee altitude) of the International Space Station is 408 KM.
- The ISS i.e. International Space Station was launched on 20 November 1998. Quite a long journey it has accomplished.
- The cost of the International Space Station is about 15,000 Crores US Dollars.
- The ISS is fully crewed with 7 crew members. There are currently seven members onboard.
- The International Space Station circles the Earth in roughly 93 minutes. It performs an average of 15.49 orbits per day.
- The station is in orbit since 1998 and as of 12 September 2022, it has completed about 23 years, 9 months, and 23 days in space.
- As of June 2022, the International Space Statio has completed a total number of 133,312 orbits.
- It is a joint project where multiple space agencies are involved such as NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA & CSA.
- The ISS is divided into two sections ROS & USOS.
- ROS is the Russian Orbital Segment which is operated by Russia and includes six modules.
- USOS is the United States Orbital Segment and is operated by the United States and other constituents (JAXA, ESA & CSA). It includes ten modules.
