ISS marks 25 years of continuous human presence in orbit
The first expedition crew — NASA’s Bill Shepherd and Russia’s Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko — blasted off aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan on 31 October, 2000
The International Space Station (ISS) has reached a historic milestone, 25 years of uninterrupted human presence in orbit, marking an unbroken era of living and working beyond Earth since 2 November, 2000.
Nearly 300 people — mostly astronauts, but also space tourists and even a film crew — have visited the orbiting laboratory since its first crew arrived. With only five years left before its planned retirement, NASA is now relying on private companies to develop commercial space stations that can continue research and extend human presence in orbit.
The first crew and a lasting partnership
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The first expedition crew — NASA's Bill Shepherd and Russia's Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko — blasted off aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan on 31 October, 2000. They entered the station two days later, transforming the dark, cramped outpost into a livable and operational space.
Shepherd, a former Navy SEAL who now serves on an advisory committee alongside Krikalev, said the station remains a symbol of cooperation despite political tensions. "While relations between the US and Russia are quite bad at the national level, person to person and even space agency to space agency, they're actually quite good," he told the Associated Press.
290 visitors and counting
According to NASA, 290 people from 26 countries have visited the ISS. Seven astronauts are currently on board, representing the US, Russia and Japan.
The first space tourist, American businessman Dennis Tito, flew to the station in 2001 aboard a Russian spacecraft despite NASA's objections. Russia continued flying private passengers, including a film crew in 2021.
NASA has since embraced private missions, hosting two-week stays for commercial crews. Recent visitors included astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary — their countries' first space travelers in decades — under the command of veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, the station's first female commander. "Space brings people together," she said.
Close calls and remarkable endurance
Over the years, the ISS has faced several challenges — from a spacewalker's near-drowning and air leaks to collisions narrowly avoided with space debris.
"The fact that it's more than twice its design life on many systems is pretty remarkable," Shepherd said.
Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine added that despite the routine appearance of operations, "there's nothing routine about it."
Life aboard the orbiting outpost
From humble beginnings, the station has evolved into a vast, football-field-sized laboratory. Astronauts now enjoy internet calls, large viewing windows, and even coffee — thanks to an experimental espresso machine.
"It's a four-star hotel now," Shepherd joked. "You couldn't ask for better accommodations, at least in space."
Over the years, astronauts have celebrated marriages, witnessed the birth of their children from orbit, and endured personal loss. Mike Fincke became a father during a space mission over 20 years ago — and is now back aboard the ISS. In contrast, others like Scott Kelly faced family tragedies while in orbit, including the 2011 shooting of his sister-in-law, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
Science and discoveries in zero gravity
More than 3,000 experiments have been conducted aboard the ISS, many focusing on human biology. Medical research gained urgency when an astronaut discovered a blood clot in the jugular vein — treated remotely by doctors on Earth.
NASA also carried out its famous twins study, comparing astronaut Scott Kelly's yearlong stay in space with his twin brother Mark Kelly's life on Earth. The research provided critical insights into the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body.
A planned descent and new beginnings
NASA has contracted SpaceX for nearly $1 billion to deorbit the ISS in early 2031. A specially designed SpaceX vehicle will guide the aging station into a controlled reentry over the Pacific Ocean.
Before that, Axiom Space will detach its own module — planned as the foundation for a new commercial station. Other private companies are developing similar concepts.
NASA aims to ensure a seamless transition from the ISS era to the next generation of orbiting laboratories, maintaining America's unbroken human presence in space.
