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International Space Station

The International Space Station is a $100 billion research outpost in low-Earth orbit. It was built by 15 different countries and overseen by 5 space agencies, among them NASA, Russia's Roscosmos agency, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Construction began in 1998 and rotating astronaut crews have lived on the ISS continuously since 2000. Today, the ISS is the largest human-built structure in space. See the latest news, photos and videos from ISS missions here.

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This stunning, sandy, sienna-hued landscape is the Tanezrouft Basin (a desolate region of the Sahara Desert) as seen by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 from space. The extremely arid plain is home to scorching temperatures, little water and vegetation and has even been nicknamed the "Land of Terror." This image was captured as part of Copernicus Sentinel-2, a two-satellite mission that is part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus program.

Pictures from space! Our image of the day

By Space.com Staff

This stunning, sandy, sienna-hued landscape is the Tanezrouft Basin (a desolate region of the Sahara Desert) as seen by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 from space.

hayabusa2 asteroid ryugu

The top space stories of the week!

By Doris Elin Urrutia

These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.

SpaceX's Dragon CRS-21 cargo resupply ship is pictured docked to the International Space Station's Harmony module. At right, a portion of the JAXA Kibo laboratory module is pictured.

SpaceX's upgraded Cargo Dragon supply ship makes 1st Atlantic splashdown

By Hanneke Weitering

A SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply spacecraft returned to Earth from the International Space Station Wednesday (Jan. 13), splashing down off the coast of Florida for the first time ever.

boeing solar arrays international space station

Boeing to boost space station power supply with new solar arrays

By Robert Z. Pearlman

The International Space Station will soon be augmented with six new arrays to power its continued and expanded use.

Dream Chaser is capable of touching down on any runway that can welcome a Boeing 737.

Dream Chaser space plane's first flight slips to 2022 due to pandemic-related delays

By Nola Taylor Redd

Delays, many related to COVID, have pushed the first flight of the Dream Chaser space plane to 2022.

A SpaceX CRS-21 Cargo Dragon spacecraft makes the first automated undocking of a U.S. supply ship from the International Space Station on Jan. 12, 2020.

SpaceX Cargo Dragon supply ship makes 1st autonomous undocking from space station

By Elizabeth Howell

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship made its first-ever autonomous undocking from the International Space Station Tuesday (Jan. 12)

SpaceX's CRS-21 Cargo Dragon is seen docked to a port on the Harmony module of the International Space Station. It's planned return to Earth on Jan. 11, 2021 was delayed by bad weather at its Atlantic Ocean splashdown site.

Bad weather on Earth delays SpaceX Dragon's return from space station

By Elizabeth Howell

Poor weather on Earth forced a SpaceX supply ship to wave off the opportunity to make the company's first autonomous undocking from the International Space Station on Monday (Jan. 11).

The uncrewed Northrop Grumman Cygnus NG-14 cargo ship S.S. Kalpana Chawla departed from the International Space Station on Jan. 6, 2020 to end a 93-day resupply mission.

Cygnus cargo ship leaves space station to test 5G tech and spark fires in orbit

By Elizabeth Howell

A Cygnus cargo ship left the International Space Station Wednesday (Jan. 6) on a new mission to test 5G tech and spark fires in orbit.

"Space Explorers: The ISS Experience" offers the public the chance to experience life on board the International Space Station as never possible or available before.

'ISS Experience' puts viewers aboard the space station in 3D 360-degree VR

By Robert Z. Pearlman

You could be the next crew member on the International Space Station with the VR app "Space Explorers: The ISS Experience."

Five Expedition 64 astronauts on the International Space Station celebrate 2021 by ringing in the New Year with a zero gravity ball drop. They are (clockwise from top left): NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi and NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Shannon Walker.

Astronauts ring in new year from space with zero gravity ball drop for 2021

By Tariq Malik

Astronauts in space found a way to ring in 2021 on New Year's Eve in their own way: a ball drop in zero gravity.

NASA's Crew-1 astronauts pose for a photo as they prepare to head to Pad 39A for their SpaceX Crew Dragon launch on Nov. 15, 2020. They are (from left): NASA astronauts Shannon Walker, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins and Soichi Noguchi with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The 10 biggest spaceflight stories of 2020

By Elizabeth Howell

While 2020 was a difficult year around the world with the challenges that have come with the coronavirus pandemic, space continued to reach new heights.

radishes space station

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvests radishes grown in space

By Samantha Mathewson

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins harvested fresh radishes grown in space, opening new doors for producing food in microgravity to sustain future longer-term missions to the moon and Mars.

Five members of the Expedition 64 crew send a Christmas message to Earth from the International Space Station to celebrate the 2020 holiday.

Astronauts on the International Space Station beam Christmas cheer to Earth

By Tariq Malik

Astronauts on the International Space Station are sending Christmas tidings to the people of Earth with a message of hope in a year challenged by a global pandemic.

Santa Clause has made a special visit to the International Space Station to deliver presents for Christmas 2020.

NORAD tracks Santa Claus in cosmic trip to the International Space Station

By Tariq Malik

NORAD and AGI are tracking Santa's flyby of the International Space Station, which comes just in time for Christmas during the station's 20th anniversary year of crewed missions.

The Expedition 61 astronauts celebrate Christmas and the holidays in orbit aboard the International Space Station in December 2019.

Santa Claus snags FAA license for commercial mission to space station

By Mike Wall

We'll apparently see one more big private spaceflight milestone before 2020 is done.

The Nanoracks Bishop airlock is pictured after its installation to the International Space Station's Tranquility module, on Dec. 20, 2020. The station's Canadarm2 robotic arm, which relocated the airlock from the trunk of SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft to its new home outside Tranquility, is still attached to the airlock in this view. Adjacent to Bishop on the aft side of Tranquility is the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM.

The International Space Station is now home to the world's 1st commercial airlock

By Amy Thompson

The International Space Station is now sporting a shiny new piece of hardware.

Internal projection of a bladed disk ("blisk") to be printed by Made In Space's Ceramic Manufacturing Module.

Made In Space makes ceramic turbine part in orbit in another 3D printing milestone

By Mike Wall

Made In Space just built its first ceramic part in orbit, 3D printing a single-piece turbine part onboard the International Space Station.

Col. Michael Hopkins, a NASA astronaut, recites the U.S. Space Force oath of enlistment while on the International Space Station on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. Hopkins voluntarily transferred to the Space Force after 27 years serving in the Air Force.

First 'Guardian' in space: NASA astronaut on ISS enters Space Force

By Robert Z. Pearlman

Col. Michael Hopkins, who has served for 27 years in the Air Force, voluntarily transferred to the Space Force while aboard the International Space Station on Dec. 18, 2020.

(From left to right) NASA astronauts Raja Chari and Tom Marshburn and ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer have been chosen to fly on SpaceX's Crew-3 mission.

These 3 astronauts will launch SpaceX's Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station in 2021

By Chelsea Gohd

NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have selected a trio of astronauts to fly to space as part of SpaceX's Crew-3 mission.

SpaceX's Dragon CRS-21 cargo spacecraft docks with the International Space Station, on Dec. 7, 2020.

SpaceX's 1st upgraded Dragon cargo ship docks itself at space station with science, goodies and new airlock

By Hanneke Weitering

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station today (Dec. 7) to deliver vital supplies for NASA and try something brand-new: park itself without the help of astronauts.