The history of the International Space Station (ISS) from 1993 onwards highlights significant milestones in international collaboration and technological advancement in space exploration. Here are the key events:
1. 1993: The United States and Russia agreed to merge their separate space station projects, leading to a new international partnership. This collaboration included contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
2. 1998: The first module, Zarya, was launched on November 20. Built by Russia and funded by the United States, Zarya provided power and propulsion for the initial assembly stages. This marked the beginning of ISS construction in orbit.
3. 1998: The Unity module, the first U.S.-built component, was launched on December 4 and connected to Zarya, forming the initial core of the ISS.
4. 2000: The Zvezda service module, providing living quarters and life support systems, was added in July. On November 2, the first long-term crew, Expedition 1, arrived, marking the start of continuous human presence on the ISS.
5. 2000-2011: Over the next decade, numerous modules and components were added. Significant modules included Destiny (U.S. laboratory, 2001), Columbus (European laboratory, 2008), Kibo (Japanese laboratory, 2008), and various trusses, solar arrays, and external structures.
6. 2011: NASA's Space Shuttle program ended, increasing reliance on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for transporting astronauts to and from the ISS. This period also saw the beginning of NASA's Commercial Crew Program to develop private-sector spacecraft.
7. 2014: NASA announced contracts with SpaceX and Boeing to develop crewed spacecraft, leading to the creation of SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner.
8. 2020: SpaceX's Crew Dragon completed its first crewed mission, restoring the ability of the U.S. to launch astronauts from American soil and reducing reliance on Soyuz spacecraft.
The ISS continues to be a hub for scientific research, international cooperation, and a platform for testing technologies for future space missions. It stands as a symbol of what can be achieved through global collaboration and shared dedication to space exploration.
#Starliner's first crew arrived at the International Space Station. The spacecraft docked at 1:34 p.m. ET on June 6 after a successful June 5 launch on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
The ISS Expedition 71 crew welcomed NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, Starliner's first crew.
The docking followed a day of flight to the station, during which the Starliner crew conducted demonstrations to help achieve Crew Flight Test objectives.
