• Key Information

  • International Space Station

  • Type
    Space Station
  • Launch Date
    20 November, 1998
  • Weight
    980,208 lb
  • Length
    239.4 ft
  • Width
    357.5 ft
  • Orbit Height
    256.6 to 262.2 miles
  • Learning Point
  • The International Space Station, or ISS for short, is a space station built by several nations, with the aim of allowing scientific cooperation and experimentation. The station was built using United States and Russian spacecraft.
  • Project
  • Draw the International Space Station.
  • Location
  • Located in
    Orbit of Earth
  • Fun Facts
  • The station was built progressively over 13 years, starting in 1998 and being largely completed in 2011.
  • The first module was Zarya launched by Russia, the first American component was Unity which docked to Zarya in 1998.
  • On 12 July 2000, the Zvezda module was launched, which allowed the station to be inhabited by crew.
  • The ISS is a modular space station. Modular stations can allow modules to be added to or removed from the existing structure, allowing greater flexibility.