International Space Station
Call sign: Alpha, Station
The ISS is a modular space station in low Earth orbit, representing a collaboration between 5 space agencies: NASA (US), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), CSA (Canada).
Orbits at an average altitude of 400 km; it is visible to the naked eye at dusk/dawn when passing overhead
Serves as a microgravity/space environment research laboratory for sciences like astrobiology, astronomy, physics, etc.
Suited for testing systems and tech needed for future long-duration missions to Moon/Mars
Launched November 20, 1998; has been continuously occupied by rotating international crews since 2000
Usually 7 crew members aboard at a time, travelling at 7.66 km/s while orbiting Earth every ~90 mins
Made up of over 200 components; weighs over 400 tons and measures 109 meters long
Powered by 8 solar arrays generating 75-90 kilowatts
Spacecraft can arrive at the ISS as soon as 4 hours after launching from Earth
Has hosted over 3,000 research investigations from over 100 countries
Astronauts regularly conduct spacewalks for construction, maintenance, upgrades
Travels the distance to the Moon and back about every day
Capable of hosting up to 8 docked spacecraft at once
Has completed over 133,000 orbits around Earth
I took this video on Jul 13, 2020.