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About the International Space Station

ISS exploitation and ELIPS

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Where is the International Space Station now?Building the ISS ISS configuration at completion (pdf)

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About the International Space Station

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This image of the International Space Station with the docked Europe's ATV Johannes Kepler and Space Shuttle Endeavour was taken by Expedition 27 crew member Paolo Nespoli from the Soyuz TMA-20 following its undocking on 24 May 2011. The pictures are the first taken of a shuttle docked to the ISS from the perspective of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Onboard the Soyuz were Russian cosmonaut and Expedition 27 commander Dmitry Kondratyev, ESA's Paolo Nespoli and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman. Coleman and Nespoli were both flight engineers. The three landed in Kazakhstan later that day, completing 159 days in space.

Credits: ESA/NASA

European participation

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(20 Dec. 2010) --- ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli, Expedition 26 flight engineer, moves the Neurospat hardware (including light shield and frame) used for the Bodies in the Space Environment (BISE) experiment, in the Columbus Module aboard the International Space Station.

Credits: NASA/ESA

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Artist's impression of the Automated Transfer Vehicle approaching the International Space Station. In combination with ESA's new Ariane 5, the 20.5 t, 8.5 m-long Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) will enable Europe to transport cargo to the International Space Station. This new vehicle, scheduled for its initial test flight in September 2004, can carry 9 tonnes of scientific equipment, general supplies, water, oxygen and propellant. Up to 4 t can be propellant for ATV's own engines to reboost the Station at regular intervals as atmospheric drag reduces the orbit. Developed under Aerospatialess prime contractorship, an ATV will be launched on average every 15 months as a means of ESA contributing to the Station's operating costs. It can remain docked for up to 6 months, during which time it will be loaded with Station waste before being undocked and flown into Earth's atmosphere to burn up.

Credits: ESA - D.Ducros

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Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, Expedition 23 commander, is pictured in a window of the Cupola of the International Space Station on 9 May 2010. NASA photo ISS023-E-037182

Credits: NASA

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Artist's impression showing the European Robotic Arm (ERA) on the outside of Multi-purpose Laboratory Module (MLM) of the International Space Station. The robotic arm is moving the payload to a temporary storage location.

ERA will be able to work with the new Russian airlock, being able to transfer small payloads directly from inside to outside the ISS and vice versa. This will reduce the EVA set-up time for astronauts and allow for cooperative tasks for ERA with astronauts.

Credits: ESA - D.Ducros

European astronauts and users

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At the DLR/ESA Space Tweetup 18 September, there will be the opportunity to meet various ESA astronauts.

Shown here, members of the European Astronaut corps, together with the DLR Chairman Jan Woerner, at the last German Space Day, September 2009

Credits: DLR/ESA

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N-USOC control room

Credits: N-USOC

Last update: 29 August 2011