Infrastructure
Human Activities in Space
Infrastructure: Human Spaceflight
Introduction | Since Yuri Gagarin’s orbital flight around the Earth in April 1961, humans in pioneering new technologies and pushing the limits of what’s considered possible. This year ushered in… Economy Insights: Commercial Activity on the International Space Station
Introduction | This year marks the 20th anniversary of human habitation on the International Space Station (ISS). That sustained success means NASA and the ISS U.S. National Laboratory, which share… 2017 – China Space Station – Snapshot
During 2016, China launched its latest space station, Tiangong-2. Chinese taikonauts lived aboard the new space station for 30 days before returning to Earth during the same year. In 2017,…
2017 – Bigelow Space Station – Snapshot
The privately owned Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), launched in 2016, remained attached to the ISS in 2017. NASA originally contracted Bigelow Aerospace to test the expandable habitat for two…
2017 – ISS – Snapshot
The International Space Station (ISS) continued to be an active inhabited space laboratory during 2017. International teams of engineers, researchers, and scientists rotated through the ISS, all with experiments and…
Space Station Satellite Deployment Log
The ISS and other space stations occasionally deploy small satellites from various launchers, or even by hand. This log monitors the number and type of small satellite deployed from the…
2014 – Annual Space Stations Overview
While satellites are essentially a platform upon which useful equipment can be mounted, space stations are a fundamentally different kind of asset. Space stations have been envisioned as permanent or…
2016 – Bigelow Space Stations – Snapshot
In April 2016, the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) was launched and attached to the International Space Station (ISS). During transport, the module was nearly 2.5 meters in diameter and…
2016 – China Space Stations – Snapshot
China launched a new space station laboratory in the middle of September 2016, making China the only nation to have two space stations in orbit, although one appears to no…
2016 – International Space Station – Snapshot
During 2016, the International Space Station (ISS) continued to be the primary inhabited space laboratory orbiting the Earth. An international contingent of scientists, engineers, and researchers used the ISS for…