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An astronaut in a white spacesuit works on a fixture while outside of the International Space Station. He holds a large white circular object in his left hand. Earth can be seen behind him: the planet's blue water and white clouds take up most of the background, but a sliver of black space can be seen at top right.

Twenty-Five Years on the International Space Station

November 2, 2025, marked a historic milestone: 25 years of continuous human presence aboard the International Space Station.

A Momentous Milestone

This milestone has permanently redefined what is possible for exploration beyond the boundaries of Earth and stands as a foundational steppingstone in our quest to return to the Moon and onto Mars.

The Power of Human Ingenuity

NASA and its partners have supported humans continuously living and working in space since November 2000. A truly global endeavor, the International Space Station has been visited by more than 290 people from 26 countries and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft.

Highlights from a Quarter Century on Orbit

From the left, are cosmonaut Yuri P. Gidzenko, Soyuz commander; astronaut William M. Shepherd, mission commander; and cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, flight engineer, balancing oranges on their fingers aboard the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. — 2000: Expedition 1 Crew Members on the Space Station
The Expedition 1 crew members about to enjoy fresh oranges aboard the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Pictured, from the left, are Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri P. Gidzenko, Soyuz commander; NASA astronaut William M. Shepherd, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev.
NASA

NASA astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, wearing a spacesuit, smiles as he looks through the lab window outside the Destiny module. — 2001: An Early Station Selfie
One of the first “station selfies” by NASA astronaut Robert L. Curbeam as he works outside the newly installed Destiny module during STS-98 in 2001. On this spacewalk, the crew connected cables, unveiled the lab’s window, and adjusted hardware ahead of schedule.
NASA

Astronaut John B. Herrington, in a space suit, waves from behind a portion of the space station. The forward section of the Space Shuttle Endeavor is to the right of Herrington. — 2002: A Moment Outside the Shuttle
NASA astronaut John B. Herrington, pictured next to the forward section of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, waves while performing a spacewalk during the STS-113 mission. This was the 16th American assembly flight and 112th overall American flight to the International Space Station, having launched on Nov. 23, 2002, from Kennedy’s launch pad 39A.
NASA

On the left, Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko and on the right NASA astronaut Edward T. Lu, are seen wearing spacesuits while performing an Extravehicular Mobility Unit spacesuit fit check. — 2003: Suited up in the Quest Airlock
Roscosmos cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko (left) and NASA astronaut Edward T. Lu perform a spacesuit fit check in the Quest airlock on the International Space Station. The objective was to check out the equipment and provide the crew with training for preparing for a two-person spacewalk without intravehicular crewmember support, should it become necessary.
NASA

ASA astronaut Michael Fincke smiles as he holds a microphone to his mouth in the Zvezda Service Module. — 2004: HAM Radio in the Zvezda Service Module
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke uses a microphone/keypad for the Amateur Radio in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station during his contact with the Palmer Research Station in Antarctica.
NASA

Viewing NASA astronauts, Eileen M. Collins, Wendy Lawrence, James M. Kelly and Charles J. Camarda from their backs, they sit at their stations in Space Shuttle Discovery. Kelly holds a clipboard with a pen. — 2005: Four Minds, One Mission
STS-114 crew from left, NASA astronauts Eileen M. Collins, Wendy Lawrence, James M. Kelly and Charles J. Camarda at their respective stations to support rendezvous and docking operations with the International Space Station. STS-114 marked the first “Return to Flight” shuttle mission following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and the first shuttle mission to station commanded by a woman.
NASA

NASA astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams in EMU spacesuit next to an ISS module waves to the camera with the Earth in the lower background. — 2006: A Hello Between Worlds
NASA astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams during an individualized portion of a 5-hour, 54-minute spacewalk which he completed with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Reiter (out of frame). For part of the spacewalk, the pair worked in tandem before working separately, enabling the duo to get ahead of their timeline and tack on extra tasks.
NASA

With a blue and white Earth in the background, Space Shuttle Discovery approaches a Russian spacecraft docked to the International Space Station on the left. The Harmony node is visible in Discovery's cargo bay. — 2007: Discovery Meets the Station
Backdropped by a blue and white Earth, Space Shuttle Discovery approaches the International Space Station during STS-120 rendezvous and docking operations on Oct. 25, 2007. The Harmony node is visible in Discovery’s cargo bay. A Russian spacecraft, docked to the station, is visible at left.
NASA

The Japanese Experiment Module, Kibo, is pictured attached to the International Space Station with black space in the background. — 2008: Science Meets the Stars
The Japanese Experiment Module, or JEM, also called Kibo, in its new home on the International Space Station. Kibo serves as a research laboratory with a pressurized module for experiments in space medicine, biology, Earth observation and more.
NASA

A crew of six in Expedition 20, poses in a star shape with their heads touching in the center. — 2009: Stars of Expedition 20
In 2009, station hosted the first six-person crew with all partner agencies (USA, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada) onboard simultaneously. This was a significant increase in crew size and operational capacity. Pictured clockwise from right (center) are cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, commander; Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, all flight engineers.
NASA

NASA astronauts Terry Virts, left, and Jeffery Williams to the right are pictured in the cupola after opening the windows for the first time. — 2010: Installing the Window to the World
On Feb. 8, 2010, space shuttle Endeavour began its 24th trip into space, on the 20A assembly mission to the International Space Station, the 32nd shuttle flight to the orbiting lab. The STS-130 mission’s primary objectives included delivering the Tranquility module and the cupola to the space station, adding 21 tons of hardware to the facility. NASA astronauts Terry Virts, left, and Jeffery Williams pictured in the cupola after opening the windows for the first time.
NASA

The Expedition 28 crew is in the background looking at the flag being placed on the Hatch of the Harmony module while Astronaut Christopher Ferguson holds a microphone looking at the camera. — 2011: Legacy on the Hatch
Shortly before the shuttle crew left the space station, Ferguson presented the Expedition 28 crew with a U.S. flag flown on the first space shuttle mission, STS-1, in 1981. During the televised ceremony, the crews placed the flag on the hatch of the Harmony module through which the Atlantis crew departed, and through which the next crew to launch on an American spacecraft from American soil would arrive.
NASA

ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers looks through a window of the Cupola of the International Space station with an open hatch, backdropped by the blackness of space. — 2012: Peaking Through the Cupola
European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers is pictured in a window of the Cupola on the International Space Station, backdropped by the blackness of space.
NASA

Through the window of the Cupola, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano is off-frame to the right, holding an in-frame laser range finder, looking at Cygnus pictured on the left, backdropped by a blue and white Earth. — 2013: A Glimpse of Cygnus
At the windows in the International Space Station’s Cupola, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano uses a laser range finder during rendezvous, capture and docking operations with the first Cygnus commercial cargo spacecraft built by Orbital Sciences Corp. The two spacecraft converged at 7:01 a.m. EDT on Sept. 29, 2013.
NASA

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore smiles as he holds a 3-D printed ratchet wrench with blue gloves aboard the International Space Station. — 2014: 3-D Printing Takes Flight
NASA Astronaut Butch Wilmore holds a 3-D printed ratchet wrench from the new 3-D printer aboard the International Space Station. The printer completed the first phase of a NASA technology demonstration by printing a tool with a design file that was transmitted from the ground to the printer.
NASA

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly with a straight face, crosses his arms and is posed to the left of a screen showing a television show. — 2015: Separated by Miles, United by the Mission
On May 15, 2015, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, aboard the International Space Station, shared a photo via X (formerly Twitter) to acknowledge his twin brother and former astronaut Mark Kelly’s appearance on a Television show. He stated, “”Watching my bro @ShuttleCDRKelly on #CelebrityJeopardy onboard @Space_Station this morning. Great job representing!”
NASA

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins is looking towards the left at her hands while working on an experiment on the International Space Station. — 2016: DNA Sequencing in Orbit
NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins prepares for the Run 2 sample initialization of the Biomolecule Sequencer experiment. For the first time, the Biomolecule Sequencer demonstrated that DNA sequencing is feasible in an orbiting spacecraft. A space-based DNA sequencer could identify microbes, diagnose diseases and understand crew member health, and potentially help detect DNA-based life elsewhere in the solar system.
NASA

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba is smiling while he holds a children’s book with cargo in the background aboard the International Space Station. — 2017: Story Time in the Stars
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba holds a children’s book that he is reading from as part of the Story Time From Space program. Astronauts read aloud from a STEM-related children’s book while being videotaped and demonstrate simple science concepts and experiments aboard the International Space Station.
NASA

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold leans over and looks down towards the left at his microbe samples as he swabs his lab samples. — 2018: Microbial Forensics in Microgravity
NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold swabbed surfaces in the International Space Station to collect microbe samples. He then processed the microbial DNA using the Biomolecule Sequencer, a device that enables DNA sequencing in microgravity, to identify microbes able to survive in microgravity.
NASA

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir (left) and Christina Koch (right) are putting on their spacesuits while smiling at the camera. — 2019: Suited for History
NASA astronauts Jessica Meir (left) and Christina Koch (right) put on their spacesuits as they prepare to leave the hatch of the International Space Station and begin the historical first-ever all-female spacewalk. The two ventured outside the International Space Station on Friday, Oct. 18, to replace faulty equipment on the station’s exterior.
NASA

The SpaceX Crew Dragon, the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle-9 resupply ship, and Europe’s Columbus laboratory module figure are attached to the U.S. Harmony module to the left, with the International Docking Adapter on top. The Earth is the midground and the blackness of space is in the background. — 2020: Human Spaceflight Returns to the U.S.
In 2020, human spaceflight returned to the U.S. with the launch of the SpaceX Demo-2 mission. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley launched to the space station in May, marking the first crewed launch from the U.S. since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. Additionally, the space station celebrated 20 years of being continuously crewed in November.
NASA

JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, wearing a black headband and gloves, stows samples inside a science freezer towards the right, surrounded by equipment and cables aboard the International Space Station. — 2021: Preserving Science in Space
Expedition 65 Commander Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency stows samples inside a science freezer, also known as the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). MELFI provides the space station with refrigerated storage and freezing of biological and life science samples. It can hold up to 300 liters of samples ranging in temperature from 50 degrees Fahrenheit to a low of -146 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius to a low of -99 degrees Celsius).
NASA

Eleven astronaut float together inside the International Space Station smiling for a group portrait. Three crew members are upside down at the top while others are right-side up, forming a tight cluster against the station’s interior wall. — 2022: A Full House in Microgravity
The 11-person crew aboard the station comprises of (clockwise from bottom right) Expedition 67 Commander Tom Marshburn with Flight Engineers Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, Sergey Korsakov, Raja Chari, Kayla Barron, and Matthias Maurer; and Axiom Mission 1 astronauts (center row from left) Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe, Larry Conner, and Michael Lopez-Alegria.
NASA

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio smiles as he poses with his arms crossed inside the Cupola with a blue and white Earth in the background. — 2023: Record Breaking Stay
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio is pictured inside the cupola, the International Space Station’s “window to the world,” as the orbiting lab flew 263 miles above southeastern England. Rubio’s spaceflight is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, breaking the record previously held at 355 days by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei. During his mission, Rubio completed approximately 5,936 orbits in a journey of more than 157 million miles, which is roughly the equivalent of 328 trips to the Moon and back.
NASA/Frank Rubio

A smiling astronaut works with a bioprinting setup, wearing gloves. To the right, a close-up image shows a three-dimensional bioprinted human heart tissue sample inside a laboratory chamber. — 2024: Printing Life Above Earth
In May 2024, BFF-Cardiac successfully bioprinted a three-dimensional human heart tissue sample using the Redwire BioFabrication Facility. Tissues bioprinted in the microgravity of the space station hold their shape without the use of artificial scaffolds. These bioprinted human heart tissues eventually could be used to create personalized patches for tissue damaged by events such as heart attacks. The tissue sample is undergoing further testing on Earth.
NASA

2025: Celebrating 25 Years on the Space Station

The 25th anniversary logo is visible in the cupola of the space station in this July 17, 2025, image. The central astronaut figure is representative of all those who have lived and worked aboard the station during the 25 years of continuous human presence. In the dark sky of space surrounding the astronaut are 15 stars, which symbolize the 15 partner nations that support the orbiting laboratory.

NASA/Jonny Kim

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Spot the Station

The Spot the Station mobile app is an official NASA app that helps users track and receive notifications for International Space Station viewings as it passes over their respective location. It also provides real-time tracking, flyover schedules, and alerts.