International Space Station Statistics By Size, Speed, Mass, Orbital Launch, Government Expenditure and ESA Budget Contribution
Maitrayee Dey
Updated · Sep 24, 2024
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Facts About The International Space Station
- General International Space Station Statistics
- By Size, Speed, and Mass
- By Orbital Launch
- By Science Facilities
- Visitors Statistics By Country
- Names And Number Of Visitors Statistics By Country
- Government Expenditure Statistics On Space Programs
- NASA Statistics
- ESA Budget Contribution Statistics
- ESA Budget Allocation On Optica Programs Of ISS
- JAXA’s Statistics
- Launch Failures And Uncatalogued Orbital Launches Statistics, 2023
- International Space Station Statistics By Traffic
- Orbital Statistics By Height Vs. Time Plot
- By Spacewalks
- List of Human Space Flights to the International Space Station
- List Of Commanders In The International Space Station
- By Key Research Areas
- ISS Observation Statistics
- Current Position Of ISS
- Conclusion
Introduction
International Space Station (ISS) Statistics: The International Space Station (ISS) is a giant science lab circling Earth at an incredible speed. It’s a truly international effort, built and operated by 5 space agencies from 15 countries, making it a symbol of global cooperation. Here are some amazing statistics that showcase the wonder of the ISS.
Globally, the top five space agencies are NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada), have collaborated on a large space station or spacecraft that is assembled and maintained within the orbit around Earth for performing space environment experiments, and microgravity.
Editor’s Choice
- The ISS has been continuously occupied since November 2000 and is expected to be operational at least until 2024.
- The ISS is 356 feet (109 meters) end-to-end, nearly the length of a football field.
- It has a mass of approximately 925,335 lbs (419,725 kilograms).
- The living space is larger than a six-bedroom house, with six sleeping quarters, two bathrooms, a gym, and a 360-degree view bay window.
- The ISS orbits the Earth approximately every 90 minutes, making about 16 orbits per day.
- It travels at a speed of roughly 28,000 kilometers per hour (about 17,500 miles per hour).
- It is a joint project involving five space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada).
- Contributions include modules and components from these agencies, as well as commercial entities like the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) and the NanoRacks Bishop airlock.
- Typically, an international crew of seven lives and works on the ISS, although the number can vary during crew handovers.
- Crew members conduct various scientific experiments, maintenance tasks, and spacewalks. The record for the longest cumulative time spent in space by a U.S. astronaut is held by Peggy Whitson, with 665 days.
- Over 3,700 investigations have been conducted, resulting in more than 4,000 research articles.
- The ISS serves as a unique laboratory for long-duration microgravity research, which includes studies on human health, biological sciences, materials science, and technology development.
- The ISS features eight miles of wiring for its electrical system.
- The solar array wingspan is 356 feet, longer than the wingspan of the Airbus A380.
- Astronauts regularly perform spacewalks for station maintenance and upgrades.
- Robotic systems like Canadarm2 and Dextre are used for maintenance tasks to reduce the need for spacewalks.
- Astronauts aboard the ISS have taken over 3.5 million photographs of Earth from space.
- The International Space Station (ISS) celebrated its 25th year of operations in 2023.
- Approximately 3,300 scientists from 109 nations have enabled groundbreaking microgravity research in areas like biotechnology, physical sciences, human health, and Earth observations.
- Meanwhile, at the International Space Station, there are more than 250 active research facilities.
- The pressurized volume of the ISS is nearly 900 m3 (31,000 ft3), and its mass is over 400,000 kg (900,000 lbs).
- The total area covered by the ISS solar arrays is 2,247 m2 (24,187 ft2), and the electrical power generated annually is 735,000 kW-hours.
- Around 36 Space Shuttle assembly flights and 6 Russian Proton and Soyuz rocket launches are required for building the ISS.
- International Space Station Statistics show that more than 108 countries have hosted nearly 3,000 research investigations through Expedition 60 in the ISS microgravity laboratory.
- In December 2023, 23 countries, 280 individuals, and 5 International Partners visited the International Space Station.
- As of 2023, the International Space Station statistics show that there were 223 orbital launches, and around 212 launches successfully reached orbit by the USA, China, Russia, and Europe.
- By the end of 2024, both NASA and ESA will continue operating in the ISS, but by 2024, Roscosmos will withdraw and set up its own space station.
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Facts About The International Space Station
- The largest human-made object to date to orbit Earth is the International Space Station (ISS), which is estimated to be the size of a football field and weighs the same as a jam-packed Boeing 747.
- The longest straight stay on board the ISS was made by NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, with a record of 355 days.
- The International Space Stations have two operational units: the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS), which is assembled by Roscosmos, and the U.S. Orbital Segment, which is assembled by NASA, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.
- At a single time, around 8 spaceships can be connected to the space station.
- After launching a spacecraft from Earth, it takes around 4 hours to reach the space station.
- The International Space Station also shows that there are 18-hour days, that is, days that start at 6 a.m. and end at 10:30 p.m.
- At one time, only 200 experiments were performed at ISS.
- There is very little water available at the ISS. Some amount is taken from the Earth, and the rest is purified and recycled from air and urine.
- Astronauts in the ISS never take a shower or use the dishwasher; they only wipe and air flush.
General International Space Station Statistics
- The world’s largest passenger aircraft is the Airbus A380, with 262 feet and 80 meters, followed by the longer solar array wingspan (356 feet, 109 meters).
- Since November 2000, the space station has remained continuously occupied by the top five international space agencies.
- International Space Station Statistics further state that while traveling at a speed of five miles per second, an international crew of seven people lives and works on the space station, which orbits Earth about every 90 minutes.
- The space station accounts for 16 orbits of Earth within 24 hours while traveling through 16 sunrises and sunsets.
- Astronauts in microgravity regularly work out for at least 2 hours to estimate the loss of muscle and bone weight within the human body.
- In ISS, the large modules and other pieces were delivered on 42 assembly flights, 37 U.S. space shuttles, and 5 Russian Proton/Soyuz rockets.
(Source: nasa.gov)
- The International Space Station, the living and working space, is larger than a 6-bedroom house, including 6 sleeping quarters, 2 bathrooms, 1 gym, and a 360-degree view bay window.
- The electrical power system aboard the space station is connected by eight miles of wire.
- The total length of the space station is 356 feet, which is 109 meters.
- Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus, SpaceX’s Dragon, JAXA’s HTV, and the Russian Progress are the top 4 cargo spacecraft for delivering science, cargo, and supplies.
- More than 50 computers control the overall systems on the space station.
- To ensure station and crew health and safety, approximately 350,000 sensors are monitored by on-orbit software.
- Based on the International Space Station statistics, in the United States, 44 computers communicate and run more than 1.5 million lines of flight software code via 100 data networks, transferring 400,000 signals.
By Size, Speed, and Mass
- The length of the pressurized module is 218 feet along the major axis, which is 67 meters.
- On the other hand, the truss length is almost 310 feet or 94 meters, and the mass of 925,335 pounds (419,725 kilograms)
- Meanwhile, the habitable volume is 13,696 cubic feet or 388 cubic meters, and the pressurized volume is 35,491 cubic feet or 1,005 cubic meters.
- In power generation, around 8 solar arrays provide 75 to 90 kilowatts of power and approximately 1.5 million lines of computer codes.
- End-to-end, a massive structure stretching 356 feet (109 meters), almost as long as a football field! That’s the size of the ISS!
- This technological marvel zooms around Earth at 5 miles per second, completing an orbit roughly every 90 minutes. That’s 16 orbits and 16 sunrises and sunsets every single day!The length of the pressurized module is 218 feet along the major axis, which is 67 meters.
- On the other hand, the truss length is almost 310 feet or 94 meters, and the mass of 925,335 pounds (419,725 kilograms)
- Meanwhile, the habitable volume is 13,696 cubic feet or 388 cubic meters, and the pressurized volume is 35,491 cubic feet or 1,005 cubic meters.
- In power generation, around 8 solar arrays provide 75 to 90 kilowatts of power and approximately 1.5 million lines of computer codes.
- End-to-end, a massive structure stretching 356 feet (109 meters), almost as long as a football field! That’s the size of the ISS!
- This technological marvel zooms around Earth at 5 miles per second, completing an orbit roughly every 90 minutes. That’s 16 orbits and 16 sunrises and sunsets every single day!
By Orbital Launch
(Reference: payloadspace.com)
- In 2023, the International Space Station statistics show that there were 223 orbital launches and around 212 launches successfully reached orbit by the USA, China, Russia, and Europe.
- The United States made the most orbital launch attempts, with 109, followed by China (67), Russia (19), and Europe (3).
- In addition, the rest of the countries collectively attempted 25 orbital launches in 2023.
| Countries | Orbital Launch Attempts |
| North Korea | 3 |
| India | 7 |
| Japan | 3 |
| Iran | 2 |
| South Korea | 2 |
| Israel | 1 |
| New Zealand | 7 |
- Additionally, the country with the highest number of launches reaching orbit was the United States, which had 104 in 2023, followed by China (66), Russia (19), and Europe (3).
- Other countries with launches reaching orbit include North Korea (1), India (7), Japan (2), Iran (1), South Korea (2), Israel (1), and New Zealand (6).
By Science Facilities
- ISS Science facilities include modules for accomplishing scientific activity, as well as other hardware designs.
- The laboratory modules are Columbus, Destiny, Kibo or the Japanese Experiment Module, Poisk or Mini-Research Module 2, Rassvet or Mini-Research Module 1, and Nauka or Multipurpose Laboratory Module.
In ISS, the largest single contribution made by the European Space Agency (ESA) is Columbus.
Specification of Columbus module:
| Length | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.5 m (15 ft) |
| Total mass | 10,300 kg (22,708 lb) |
| Total payload mass | 2,500 kg (5,512 lb) |
| Total on-orbit mass | 12,800 kg (28,219 lb) |
| Wall thickness | 4mm |
| Materials used | Stainless steel, kevlar, aluminum |
(Source: wikipedia.org)
For U.S. research payloads aboard the ISS, the Destiny module is known as the U.S. Lab and is the primary operating facility.
Specification of Destiny Module:
| Mass | 14,515 kilograms (32,000 lb) |
| Length | 8.4 metres (28 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.2 metres (14 ft) |
| Pressurized volume | 104.77 m3 (3,700 cu ft) |
(Source: wikipedia.org)
Kibō, the Japanese Experiment Module developed by JAXA, is the largest single ISS module of ISS.
Specification of Kibo Module:
Pressurized module
| Length | 11.19 metres (36.7 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.39 meters (14.4 ft) |
| Mass | 15,900 kilograms (35,100 lb) |
Experiment logistics module – Pressurized Section
| Length | 4.21 meters (13.8 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.39 meters (14.4 ft) |
| Mass | 8,386 kilograms (18,488 lb) |
Exposed Facility
| Length | 4 metres (13 ft) |
| Diameter | 5.6 metres (18 ft) |
| Height | 5 meters (16 ft) |
| Mass | 4,000.685 kilograms (8,820.00 lb) |
Robotic Arm (Main Arm)
| Length | 10 meters (33 ft) |
| Mass | 780 kilograms (1,720 lb) |
Handling Capacity Payload size/ weight | Max. 7000|kg 1.85m x 1.0m x 0.8m/less than 500kg |
(Small Fine Arm)
| Length | 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) |
| Mass | 190 kilograms (420 lb) |
| Handling Capacity | Max. 80kg with Compliance Control Mode, Max. 300kg without Compliance Control Mode (ORU size: 0.62 x 0.42 x 0.41m / weight: 80kg max) |
(Source: wikipedia.org)
Poisk is a well-known Russian addition to the International Space Station and is also termed Mini-Research Module 2 or Docking Module 2.
Specification of Poisk Module:
| Designation | 240GK No. 2L |
| Launch mass | 3670 kg ± 50 kg |
| Maximum hull diameter | 2.55 m |
| Hull length between docking assembly planes | 4.049 m |
| Pressurized volume | 14.8 m3 |
| Habitable volume | 10.7 m3 |
| Number of egress hatches (open inward) | 2 |
| Egress hatch diameter | 1 m |
| Mass of delivered cargoes | up to 1000 kg |
(Source: wikipedia.org)
Nauka is known as a Multipurpose Laboratory Module-Upgrade module of the International Space Station, which Roscosmos funds.
Specification of Nauka Module:
| Length | 13.12 m (43.0 ft) |
| Width | ~30 m (98 ft) |
| Diameter | 4.25 m (13.9 ft) |
| Pressurized volume | 80.9 m3 (2,860 cu ft) |
| Habitable volume | 70 m3 (2,500 cu ft) |
(Source: wikipedia.org)
Visitors Statistics By Country
(Source: statista.com)
- International Space Station (ISS) Statistics show that almost 23 countries with 280 individuals and five International Partners visited the International Space Station in December 2023.
- The United States of America makes up the top three visitor countries to the International Space Station, with 165 visitors, followed by Russia (59) and Japan (11).
- Furthermore, other countries’ number of visitors are Canada (9), Italy (6), France (4), Germany (4), Belarus (1), Belgium (1), Brazil (1), Denmark (1), Great Britain (1), Israel (1), Kazakhstan (1), Malaysia (1), Netherlands (1), Saudi Arabia (2), South Africa (1), South Korea (1), Spain (1), Sweden (2), Turkey (1), and United Arab Emirates (2).
Names And Number Of Visitors Statistics By Country
United States of America
| Joseph M. Acaba – 3 visits |
| Scott D. Altman |
| Clayton C. Anderson – 2 visits |
| Anousheh Ansari (Space Flight Participant) |
| Dominic A. Antonelli – 2 visits |
| Lee J. Archambault – 2 visits |
| Richard R. Arnold – 2 visits |
| Jeffrey S. Ashby – 2 visits |
| Serena Auñón-Chancellor |
| Michael R. Barratt – 3 visits |
| Kayla Barron |
| Daniel T. Barry – 2 visits |
| Robert L. Behnken – 3 visits |
| Michael J. Bloomfield – 2 visits |
| Eric A. Boe – 2 visits |
| Stephen G. Bowen – 4 visits |
| Kenneth D. Bowersox |
| Randolph J. Bresnik – 2 visits |
| Daniel C. Burbank – 3 visits |
| Daniel W. Bursch |
| Robert D. Cabana |
| Tracy E. Caldwell-Dyson – 2 visits |
| Charles J. Camarda |
| Josh Cassada |
| Christopher J. Cassidy – 3 visits |
| Gregory E. Chamitoff – 2 visits |
| Franklin R. Chang-Diaz |
| Raja Chari |
| Leroy Chiao – 2 visits |
| Kenneth D. Cockrell – 2 visits |
| Catherine G. Coleman |
| Eileen M. Collins |
| Larry Connor (Axiom Space) |
| Timothy J. Creamer |
| Frank L. Culbertson |
| Robert L. Curbeam – 2 visits |
| Nancy J. Currie |
| Matthew Dominick |
| Benjamin A. Drew 2 visits |
| Brian Duffy |
| James P. Dutton |
| Jeanette Epps |
| Christopher J. Ferguson – 3 visits |
| Andrew J. Feustel – 2 visits |
| Michael Fincke – 3 visits |
| Jack Fischer |
| Michael Foale |
| Kevin A. Ford – 2 visits |
| Michael J. Foreman – 2 visits |
| Patrick G. Forrester – 3 visits |
| Michael E. Fossum – 3 visits |
| Stephen N. Frick – 2 visits |
| Ronald J. Garan – 2 visits |
| Richard A. Garriott (Space Flight Participant) |
| Michael L. Gernhardt |
| Victor Glover |
| Linda M. Godwin |
| Michael T. Good |
| Dominic L. Gorie – 2 visits |
| Nick Hague |
| James D. Halsell |
| Kenneth Ham – 2 visits |
| Susan Helms – 2 visits |
| José M. Hernández |
| John Herrington |
| Joan Higginbotham |
| Bob Hines |
| Kathryn P. Hire |
| Charles O. Hobaugh – 3 visits |
| Warren “Woody” Hoburg |
| Michael S. Hopkins 2 visits |
| Scott J. Horowitz – 2 visits |
| Douglas G. Hurley – 3 visits |
| Rick Husband |
| Marsha S. Ivins |
| Tamara E. Jernigan |
| Brent W. Jett – 2 visits |
| Gregory H. Johnson – 2 visits |
| Thomas D. Jones |
| Janet L. Kavandi |
| James M. Kelly – 2 visits |
| Mark E. Kelly – 4 visits |
| Scott J. Kelly – 3 visits |
| Robert S. Kimbrough – 3 visits |
| Christina Koch |
| Timothy L. Kopra – 2 visits |
| Wendy B. Lawrence |
| Kjell Lindgren – 2 visits |
| Steven W. Lindsey – 3 visits |
| Richard M. Linnehan |
| Paul S. Lockhart – 2 visits |
| Michael E. Lopez-Alegria – 5 visits |
| Stanley G. Love |
| Edward T. Lu 2 visits |
| Sandra H. Magnus – 3 visits |
| Nicole Mann |
| Thomas H. Marshburn – 3 visits |
| Richard A. Mastracchio – 4 visits |
| Megan McArthur |
| William S. McArthur 2 visits |
| Anne McClain |
| Jessica Meir |
| Pamela A. Melroy – 3 visits |
| Leland D. Melvin – 2 visits |
| Dorothy M. Metcalf-Lindenburger |
| Jasmin Moghbeli |
| Lee M. E. Morin |
| Andrew Morgan |
| Barbara R. Morgan |
| James H. Newman |
| Carlos I. Noriega |
| Lisa M. Nowak |
| Karen L. Nyberg – 2 visits |
| Ellen L. Ochoa – 2 visits |
| William A. Oefelein |
| Loral O’Hara |
| John D. Olivas – 2 visits |
| Gregory H. Olsen (Space Flight Participant) |
| Scott E. Parazynski – 2 visits |
| Nicholas J.M. Patrick – 2 visits |
| Donald R. Pettit – 3 visits |
| John L. Phillips – 3 visits |
| Alan G. Poindexter – 2 visits |
| Mark L. Polansky – 3 visits |
| James F. Reilly – 2 visits |
| Garrett E. Reisman – 2 visits |
| Paul W. Richards |
| Stephen K. Robinson – 2 visits |
| Kent V. Rominger – 2 visits |
| Jerry L. Ross – 2 visits |
| Kate Rubins 2 visits |
| Frank Rubio |
| Robert L. Satcher |
| Piers J. Sellers – 3 visits |
| William M. Shepherd |
| John Shoffner |
| Charles Simonyi (Space Flight Participant) 2 visits |
| Steven Ls. Smith |
| Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper – 2 visits |
| Nicole P. Stott – 2 visits |
| Frederick W. Sturckow – 4 visits |
| Steven R. Swanson – 3 visits |
| Daniel M. Tani – 2 visits |
| Joseph R. Tanner – 2 visits |
| Andrew S.W. Thomas – 2 visits |
| Scott Tingle |
| Dennis A. Tito (Space Flight Participant) |
| Mark Vande Hei 2 visits |
| Terry W. Virts 2 visits |
| James S. Voss 2 visits |
| Rex J. Walheim – 3 visits |
| Shannon Walker 2 visits |
| Carl E. Walz |
| Jessica Watkins |
| Mary E. Weber |
| James D. Wetherbee – 2 visits |
| Douglas H. Wheelock – 2 visits |
| Peggy A. Whitson – 4 visits |
| Terrence W. Wilcutt |
| Jeffrey N. Williams – 4 visits |
| Sunita L. Williams – 2 visits |
| Barry E. Wilmore – 2 visits |
| Stephanie D. Wilson – 3 visits |
| G. Reid Wiseman |
| Peter J.K. Wisoff |
| David A. Wolf – 2 visits |
| George D. Zamka 2 visits |
Russia:
| Viktor Afanasyev |
| Oleg Artemyev – 3 visits |
| Yuri Baturin |
| Andrei Borisenko – 2 visits |
| Konstantin Borisov |
| Nikolai Budarin |
| Nikolai Chub |
| Vladimir Dezhurov |
| Pyotr Dubrov |
| Andrey Fedyaev |
| Yuri Gidzenko – 2 visits |
| Alexander Grebenkin |
| Anatoli Ivanishin – 3 visits |
| Aleksandr Kaleri – 2 visits |
| Anna Kikina |
| Dmitri Kondratyev |
| Oleg Kononenko – 4 visits |
| Mikhail Korniyenko – 2 visits |
| Sergey Korsakov |
| Valery Korzun |
| Oleg Kotov – 3 visits |
| Konstantin Kozeyev |
| Sergei Krikalev – 3 visits |
| Sergey Kud-Sverchkov |
| Yuri Lonchakov – 3 visits |
| Yuri Malenchenko – 5 visits |
| Denis Matveev |
| Aleksandr Misurkin – 3 visits |
| Boris Morukov |
| Talgat Musabayev |
| Oleg Novitskiy – 3 visits |
| Yuri Onufrienko |
| Aleksey Ovchinin – 2 visits |
| Gennady Padalka – 4 visits |
| Yulia Peresild (Space Flight Participant) |
| Dmitri Petelin |
| Sergey Prokopyev – 2 visits |
| Sergei Revin |
| Roman Romanenko – 2 visits |
| Sergey Ryazansky – 2 visits |
| Sergey Ryzhikov – 2 visits |
| Aleksandr Samokutyayev – 2 visits |
| Yelena Serova |
| Yuri Sharing |
| Salizhan Sharipov |
| Klim Shipenko (Space Flight Participant) |
| Anton Shkaplerov – 4 visits |
| Oleg Skripochka – 3 visits |
| Aleksandr Skvortsov – 3 visits |
| Maksim Surayev – 2 visits |
| Evgeny Tarelkin |
| Valery Tokarev – 2 visits |
| Sergei Treshchev |
| Mikhail Tyurin – 3 visits |
| Yury Usachev – 2 visits |
| Ivan Vagner |
| Pavel Vinogradov – 2 visits |
| Sergey Volkov – 3 visits |
| Fyodor Yurchikhin – 5 visits |
| Sergei Zalyotin |
Japan:
| Takao Doi |
| Satoshi Furukawa – 2 visits |
| Yozo Hirano – (Space Flight Participant) |
| Akihiko Hoshide – 3 visits |
| Norishige Kanai |
| Yusaku Maezawa – (Space Flight Participant) |
| Soichi Noguchi – 3 visits |
| Takuya Onishi |
| Koichi Wakata – 4 visits |
| Naoko Yamazaki |
| Kimiya Yui |
Canada:
| Marc Garneau |
| Chris Hadfield – 2 visits |
| Guy Laliberté (Space Flight Participant) |
| Steve MacLean |
| Mark Pathy (Axiom Space) |
| Julie Payette – 2 visits |
| David Saint-Jacques |
| Robert Thirsk |
| Dafydd Williams |
- Italy: Samantha Cristoforetti (2), Umberto Guidoni, Paolo Nespoli (3), Luca Parmitano (2), Roberto Vittori (3), and Walter Villadei.
- France: Léopold Eyharts, Claudie Haigneré, Philippe Perrin, Thomas Pesquet (2).
- Germany: Alexander Gerst (2), Matthias Maurer, Thomas Reiter, and Hans Schlegel
- Belarus: Marina Vasilevskaya
- Belgium: Frank De Winne (2)
- Brazil: Marcos Pontes
- Denmark: Andreas Mogensen (2)
- Great Britain: Timothy Peake
- Israel: Eytan Stibbe (Axiom Space)
- Kazakhstan: Aydyn Aimbetov
- Malaysia: Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor (Space Flight Participant)
- Netherlands: André Kuipers (2)
- Saudi Arabia: Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi
- South Africa: Mark Shuttleworth (Space Flight Participant)
- South Korea: Yi So-Yeon (Space Flight Participant)
- Spain: Pedro Duque
- Sweden: Christer Fuglesang (2) and Marcus Wandt
- Turkey: Alper Gezeravci
- United Arab Emirates: Hazzaa Ali Almansoori and Sultan Alneyadi
Government Expenditure Statistics On Space Programs
(Reference: statista.com)
- According to Statista, the highest government expenditure on the space program in 2023 was $73.2 billion, an increase from 2022 with $61.97 billion.
- The second and third highest countries in terms of government expenditures on the space program in 2023 and 2022 were China ($14.15 billion and $11.94 billion) and Japan ($4.65 billion and $4.9 billion), respectively.
- On the other hand, government expenditure followed by other countries in 2023 and 2022, respectively are France ($3.47 billion and $4.2 billion), Russia ($3.41 billion and $3.42 billion), European Union ($2.81 billion and $2.6 billion), Germany ($2.29 billion and $2.53 billion), Italy ($2.11 billion and $1.74 billion), India ($1.69 billion and $1.93 billion), United Kingdom ($1.45 billion and $1.15 billion), and South Korea ($0.73 billion and $0.72 billion).
NASA Statistics
(Reference: statista.com)
- In the United States, the overall government spending or budget of NASA in 2023 was $28.63 billion and is expected to reach up to $28.09 billion by 2024.
- Furthermore, NASA’s expected budget will reach more than $26.31 billion by the end of 2025.
(Reference: planetary.org)
- The International Space Station Statistics show that the top budget breakdown share of NASA was accounted for by human spaceflight activities, with a share of 44.9%, followed by robotic missions and scientific research (31.5%).
- Moreover, NASA’s budget share is divided among the other major program areas: facilities and overhead (14.7%), technology (4.9%), Aeronautics (3.5%), and education (0.5%).
ESA Budget Contribution Statistics
(Reference: statista.com)
- A report published by Statista, based on International Space Station Statistics, explained that the highest contributor of the European Space Agency in 2023 was France with 1,178.2 million euros ($1281.1 million)
All data has been converted into USD as the above graph is represented in euros.
- Moreover, ESA’s budget contribution by other countries was Germany ($1106.43 million), Italy ($739.55 million), U.K. ($476.10 million), Belgium ($259.52 million), Spain ($239.89 million), Switzerland ($189.89 million), Netherlands ($108.26 million), Sweden ($81.52 million), Norway ($78.04 million), Austria ($54.13 million), and others ($234.89 million).
ESA Budget Allocation On Optica Programs Of ISS
(Source: asc-csa.gc.ca)
- As per International Space Station Statistics 2023, the highest budget allocated for Earth observation by ESA was $1922.41 million, followed by Navigation ($1234.61 million).
- Other budget allocations to optical programs are for Space Transportation (), Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration ($963.06 million), Satcom ($670.55 million), Space Situational Awareness ($245.54 million), Technology ($237.28 million), and Commercialization ($90.97 million).
JAXA’s Statistics
(Reference: statista.com)
- In the fiscal year 2023, the initial budget of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was 155.4 billion Japanese yen ($0.99 billion)
- Meanwhile, around 1.6 thousand regular staff members were employed within the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency as of April 2023.
- By the end of 2023, from the Tanegashima Space Center, the JAXA has recorded two spacecraft launches.
Launch Failures And Uncatalogued Orbital Launches Statistics, 2023
| Designation | Date | LV Stage | LV | Payload | Type of failure |
| 2023-F01 | January 9 | USA | LauncherOne | Start Me Up | Stage 2 |
| 2023-F02 | January 10 | USA | RS1 | Varisat 1A/1B | Stage 1 |
| 2023-F10 | March 4 | Iran | Qaem-100 | Unknown | |
| 2023-F03 | March 7 | Japan | H3-22S | ALOS 3 | Stage 2 |
| 2023-F04 | March 23 | USA | Terran 1 | GLHF | Stage 2 |
| 2023-F05 | April 20 | USA | Starship V1.0 | Ship 24 | Stage 1 Sep |
| 2023-F06 | May 30 | North Korea | Cheonlima-1 | Manligyeong-1 F1 | Stage 2 |
| 2023-F07 | August 23 | North Korea | Cheonlima-1 | Manligyeong-1 F2 | Stage 3 accidental destruct |
| 2023-F08 | September 19 | New Zealand | Electron | Capella 12 Acadia | Stage 2 Electrical |
| 2023-F09 | September 21 | China | Gushenxing 1 | Jilin-1 GF04B | Stage 1 |
| 2023-F11 | November 18 | USA | Starship V1.0 | Ship 25 | Stage 2 under burn, destruct |
| 2023-202 | December 12 | USA | Firefly Alpha | Tantrum | Stage 2 failed to restart |
(Source: planet4589.org)
International Space Station Statistics By Traffic
The image below elaborates on all the exact dates, times, modules, and objects of ISS events in 2023.
(Source: planet4589.org)
Orbital Statistics By Height Vs. Time Plot
(Source: planet4589.org)
By Spacewalks
The chart describes the assembly of the International Space Station within the mission, the spacewalkers, and their duration from 2023 to 2024.
| Mission | Spacewalkers | Start (UTC) | End (UTC) | Duration |
Expedition 68 EVA 5 | Japan (Koichi Wakata) and United States (Nicole Mann) | January 20, 2023 13:14 | January 20, 2023 20:35 | 7 hours 21 minutes |
| Expedition 68 EVA 6 | United States (Nicole Mann) and Japan (Koichi Wakata) | February 2, 2023 12:45 | February 2, 2023 19:26 | 6 hours 41 minutes |
Expedition 69 EVA 1 | Russia (Sergey Prokopyev) and (Dmitry Petelin) | April 19, 2023 01:40 | April 19, 2023 09:35 | 7 hours 55 minutes |
| Expedition 69 EVA 2 | United States (Stephen Bowen) and United Arab Emirates (Sultan Al Neyadi) | April 28, 2023 13:11 | April 28, 2023 20:12 | 7 hours 1 minute |
Expedition 69 EVA 3 | Russia (Sergey Prokopyev) and (Dmitry Petelin) | May 3, 2023 20:00 | May 4, 2023 03:11 | 7 hours 11 minutes |
| Expedition 69 EVA 4 | Russia (Sergey Prokopyev) and (Dmitry Petelin) | May 12 15:47 | May 12 23:01 | 5 hours 14 minutes |
Expedition 69 EVA 5 | United States (Stephen Bowen) And (Woody Hoburg) | June 9, 2023 13:15 | June 9, 2023 19:18 | 6 hours 3 minutes |
| Expedition 69 EVA 6 | United States (Stephen Bowen) And (Woody Hoburg) | June 15, 2023 12:42 | June 15, 2023 18:17 | 5 hours 35 minutes |
Expedition 69 EVA 7 | Russia (Sergey Prokopyev) and (Dmitry Petelin) | June 22, 2023 14:24 | June 22, 2023 20:48 | 6 hours 24 minutes |
| Expedition 69 EVA 8 | Russia (Sergey Prokopyev) and (Dmitry Petelin) | August 9, 2023 14:44 | August 9, 2023 21:19 | 6 hours 35 minutes |
Expedition 70 EVA 1 | Russia (Oleg Kononenko) and (Nikolai Chub) | October 25, 2023 17:49 | October 26, 2023 01:30 | 7 hours 41 minutes |
| Expedition 70 EVA 2 | United States (Jasmin Moghbeli) And (Loral O’Hara) | November 1, 2023 12:05 | November 1, 2023 18:47 | 6 hours 42 minutes |
Expedition 71 EVA 1 | Russia (Oleg Kononenko) and (Nikolai Chub) | April 25, 2024 14:57 | April 25, 2024 19:33 | 4 Hours, 36 Minutes |
(Source: wikipedia.org)
List of Human Space Flights to the International Space Station
(Source: wikipedia.org)
- International Space Station Statistics mentioned that on March 2, 2023, the ISS flight ‘TBA’ participated in the Space X Crew mission.
- The time docked in the mission was 184 days, and it was successfully delivered by Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg (United States), Sultan Al Neyadi (United Arab Emirates), and Andrey Fedyaev (Russia).
- In 2023, other Human Spaceflights by mission are TBA (May 21): Ax-2, TBA (August 26): SpaceX Crew-7, and 70S (September 15): Soyuz MS-24.
- In addition, on January 18, 2024, TBA, the ISS flight, launched Ax-3, which docked for 18 days. This was made possible by Michael López-Alegría (United States / Spain), Walter Villadei (Italy), Alper Gezeravcı (Turkey), and Marcus Wandt (Sweden).
- Furthermore, TBA launched SpaceX Crew-8 on March 4, 2024, and the 71S flight launched Soyuz MS-25 on March 23, 2024.
List Of Commanders In The International Space Station
(Source: wikipedia.org)
By Key Research Areas
- Biology & Biotechnology: In 2024, more than 900 publications have been published about studies based on plant root growth, wound healing, and disease-causing bacteria.
- Earth & Space Science: There are around 900 publications about Earth’s climate and atmosphere, cosmic rays, neutron stars, and black holes.
- Human Research: Over 800 publications have been published on studies on the risks to human health in space – radiation, bone/muscle loss, and cardiovascular issues.
- Physical Sciences: Physics/chemistry research based on bubbles, foams, granular materials, quantum gases, and materials science has more than 700 publications by 2024.
- Technology Demonstration: Almost 600 investigations were published on Robot locomotion, satellite control, imaging technologies, fire safety.
ISS Observation Statistics
- International Space Station Statistics show that the International Space Station (ISS) is now easily visible to the naked eye.
- It reflects a huge amount of sunlight, and its size is 110m*100m* 30m.
- The preferred time to observe an ISS is at night, after sunset, or before sunrise.
As of today, the ISS will be visible in New York City at 09:17:15 PM, reach maximum visibility at 9:19:08 PM, and end at 09:21:02 PM.
| New York City (May 17, 2024) | Begin | Max. | End |
| Time (EDT) | 09:17:15 PM | 09:19:08 PM | 09:21:02 PM |
| Direction | N.W. | N | NNE |
| Altitude | 10° | 14° | 10° |
| Brightness | -0.9 mag | – | – |
| 10:55:00 PM | 10:56:51 PM | 10:58:32 PM |
| NNW | N | NE |
| 10° | 14° | 11° |
| -0.9 mag | – | – |
Current Position Of ISS
The image below describes the exact view from the ISS directly down to Earth, and the map is updated every second.
(Source: astroviewer.net)
People and Living Quarters
The ISS is like a busy apartment complex but way cooler! It can comfortably house a crew of seven people, astronauts and cosmonauts from different countries working together.
During crew handovers, the population can even swell a bit! Imagine the international potlucks that must happen up there!
A Long and Busy History
The first module of the ISS was launched in 1998, and it’s been continuously occupied since November 2000. That’s over 23 years and almost 200 days of people living and working in space, the longest nonstop stay for humans ever!
As of March 2024, a whopping 279 people from 22 countries have visited the ISS. That’s a lot of space tourists… Well, not exactly tourists, but space travelers with a purpose!
Science and Research
The ISS isn’t just a fancy space apartment; it’s a giant science lab! Astronauts conduct experiments in all sorts of fields, from biology to physics to materials science and even how the human body reacts to long stays in space. This research helps us understand the universe better and paves the way for future space exploration.
Fun fact: the astronauts aboard the ISS have taken over 3.5 million photographs of Earth! They must have an amazing view from their windows.
Building and Maintenance
It took a lot of work to get this massive structure up and running. Over 42 assembly flights were needed to deliver all the different pieces of the ISS.
Those deliveries included 37 flights by the famous American Space Shuttles (remember those?) and 5 flights by Russian Proton/Soyuz rockets.
The Future of the ISS
The ISS is constantly evolving, with plans to add even more modules, like the Axiom Orbital Segment. This will allow for more research and some space tourism opportunities in the future!
The ISS is expected to operate until at least 2030, but some missions are aiming for an even longer lifespan. After that, it will be deorbited and will make a fiery plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere over a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.
The Cost of Space Exploration
Building and maintaining a giant space station is a costly undertaking. The ISS is a multi-billion-dollar project, with the total cost estimated to be hundreds of billions (with a However,)! The knowledge gained from the research conducted there is invaluable and contributes to advancements in many fields here on Earth.
Conclusion
The ISS is a remarkable achievement in human history. It’s a testament to international collaboration and our unending quest to explore the universe. Who knows what amazing discoveries will be made on board this orbiting science lab in the years to come?
This article on International Space Station Statistics has covered all essential details of recent years. All the above statistical analyses will guide you in understanding the topic better.
Sources
Maitrayee Dey
Maitrayee, after completing her graduation in Electrical Engineering, transitioned into the world of writing following a series of technical roles. She specializes in technology and Artificial Intelligence, bringing her experience as an Academic Research Analyst and Freelance Writer, with a focus on education and healthcare under the Australian system. From an early age, writing and painting have been her passions, leading her to pursue a full-time career in writing. In addition to her professional endeavors, Maitrayee also manages a YouTube channel dedicated to cooking.
