The International Space Station officially celebrates its 25th anniversary since the arrival of the Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft at the ISS, which delivered the first long-term expedition. On November 2, 2000, cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko, along with astronaut William Shepherd, began the first space mission "ISS-1". Since then, the orbital laboratory has become a symbol of peaceful cooperation between countries in space exploration during years of continuous operation.
The ISS was officially launched on November 20, 1998, when its first module, "Zarya", appeared in space, but the station was not habitable and was retrofitted with the "Unity" and "Zvezda" modules for almost two years.
How many people have been on board the ISS during its years of operation
About 290 people: 239 men and 51 women from 26 countries have been on board the ISS during its operation. Under the station's program, 125 manned flights were carried out: 71 of them on Soyuz ships, 37 on the Space Shuttle, 16 Crew Dragon missions, and one manned flight on the Boeing Starliner.
The quarter-century anniversary of the ISS flight in manned mode is a celebration for all mankind. It is a symbol of our shared dream of conquering space, of expanding the boundaries of human knowledge and capabilities. 25 years of continuous human presence in orbit is only the beginning of a long journey that will lead us to new discoveries and achievements in the exploration of the Universe.
Over 25 years, 277 spacewalks have been carried out on board the ISS, 75 of which were carried out from the Russian segment, and 202 from the American segment. Over a quarter of a century, 157 cosmonauts and astronauts from 10 countries have managed to work outside the orbital laboratory. The longest spacewalk - 8 hours 56 minutes - was performed by NASA astronauts James Voss and Susan Helms in 2001, and the record for the total duration of extravehicular activity is held by NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria.
What the ISS consists of today
Today, the ISS consists of 16 modules belonging to the Russian and American segments. The Russian segment includes Zarya, the Zvezda service module, the Poisk and Rassvet small research modules, as well as the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module and the Prichal nodal module. The American segment includes the Unity, Harmony and Tranquility nodal modules, the Destiny laboratory module, the Quest airlock, the Cupola viewing module, the Leonardo multifunctional module and the BEAM inflatable module. This segment also includes two more modules - the European Columbus and the Japanese Kibo.
Roscosmos emphasized that the ISS has become a testing ground for technologies and materials that are used in a variety of fields - from medicine and materials science to energy and agriculture.
The International Space Station has become not just a scientific project, but a true symbol of peaceful cooperation between different countries in space exploration, proving that joint efforts can lead to truly grandiose results.
Today, the crew of the "space home" consists of seven people who are delivered to the station on Russian Soyuz MS and American Crew Dragon. And since 2022, a cross-flight program has been in place, when the crews of all American ships flying to the ISS for rotation must include a Roscosmos cosmonaut, and the crew of Russian ships must include a NASA astronaut.