The International Space Station (ISS) completed its 150,000th orbit around Earth on March 11, 2023, during a flight that lasted from 13:32 to 15:05 MSK, traversing from Sumatra, Indonesia, to the Indian Ocean. Over the past 26.5 years since the launch of its first module, Zarya, on November 20, 1998, the ISS has traveled 6.4 billion kilometers—equivalent to 30 times the average distance from Earth to Mars, four times the distance to Saturn, and nearly reaching Pluto’s orbit. The station’s mass is approximately 435 tons, which can rise to 470 tons when including attached spacecraft. With contributions from Russia, Canada, the USA, Japan, and ten European Space Agency member states, the ISS embodies international collaboration in space exploration, marking significant achievements in human presence beyond Earth. This milestone underscores the ISS’s pivotal role in advancing scientific research and technology in low Earth orbit, enhancing our understanding of space and its potential for future exploration and habitation.
