Liftoff Videos

Every mission, with the videos that tell it

International Space Station

The International Space Station is a research laboratory in low Earth orbit, run by five agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and the Canadian Space Agency. It orbits at about 400 kilometres, circling Earth roughly every 93 minutes, and spans 109 metres with its solar arrays. Zarya, the first module, launched in November 1998. People have lived aboard continuously since 2 November 2000, the longest unbroken human presence in space. Crews rotate on Soyuz and Crew Dragon flights, and cargo ships keep it supplied. The station is expected to be retired around 2030. The only other operating station is China’s Tiangong.

Events

Videos on this topic

The videos, in date order

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  1. André Kuipers’ Extended ISS Stay and Alexander Gerst’s Training

    Spark

  2. Crew-7 Dragon Endurance Rendezvous and Docking with the ISS

    SpaceX

  3. How Shuttle Missions Built the ISS: Unity, Destiny and Canadarm2

    Jared Owen

  4. How the ISS Works: Air, Cooling, Power and Debris Defence

    National Geographic

  5. ISS Story: From Zarya’s 1998 Launch to Planned De-Orbit

    DW Documentary

  6. Why the ISS Will Be Deorbited at Point Nemo and What Comes Next

    Curious Droid

  7. Inside the ISS: How the Station Is Built, Powered and Lived In

    SLICE Science

  8. How the ISS Will Be Destroyed at Point Nemo in 2030

    The B1M

  9. ISS History: Assembly, Crises and the Plan to Deorbit by 2030

    Classic Aerospace History

  10. Thomas Pesquet’s Mission Alpha: Six Months Aboard the ISS

    Free Documentary – Space

  11. How the ISS Was Assembled: Modules, Gyros, Canadarm2 and Cooling

    Real Engineering

  12. ISS Tour With Nicole Mann and Kjell Lindgren: Modules and Daily Life

    NASA Johnson

  13. ISS Module Tour: Columbus, Kibo, Destiny and Zvezda in POV

    NASA

  14. Inside the ISS: Building, Training and Science in Orbit

    Free Documentary – Space

  15. Menon and Adenot Swap a Failed ISS Space-to-Ground Antenna

    NASA

  16. Spacewalk 98: Menon and Adenot Swap a Failed ISS Antenna

    NASA

  17. Spacewalk 99: Adenot and Meir Replace Harmony Retroreflector

    NASA

  18. Crew-12 Pre-Departure Briefing: Spacewalks, Science and Going Home

    NASA

  19. Progress 96 Launch: Soyuz 2.1b Sends 2.8 Tons to the ISS

    NASA

  20. Progress 96 Docks to Poisk After a 3-Day, 49-Orbit Chase

    NASA

  21. Crew-13 Prelaunch Briefing: Dragon Valve Repair and a Fast ISS Trip

    NASA

  22. Crew-13 Postlaunch Briefing: Record Dragon Docking Pace to ISS

    NASA

  23. Crew-13 Launch Countdown: Dragon Grace Readies for the ISS

    NASA

  24. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Arrival & Welcome Remarks

    NASA

  25. Crew-12 Farewell: Jessica Meir Hands ISS Command to Dubrov

    NASA

  26. Crew-12 Leaves the ISS: Hatch Closure Aboard Dragon Freedom

    NASA

  27. Crew-12 Hatch Closure: Dragon Freedom Readies to Leave the ISS

    European Space Agency, ESA

  28. Cygnus XL Departs the ISS: Release, Burn and Re-entry Plan

    NASA

  29. Sophie Adenot Back in Europe After 237 Days on the ISS

    European Space Agency, ESA

  30. CRS-35: Falcon 9 Launches Dragon With Final Two ISS Solar Arrays

    NASA

  31. CRS-35: Falcon 9 Launches Cargo Dragon With Final IROSA Arrays

    NASASpaceflight

  32. Crew-12 Crew Look Back on 237 Days Aboard the ISS

    NASA

  33. SpaceX CRS-35 Dragon Docks at the ISS Harmony Zenith Port

    NASA

  34. ISS iROSA Spacewalks 100 and 101: Final Solar Array Installs

    NASA

  35. US Spacewalk 100: Installing the Seventh ISS Roll-Out Solar Array

    NASA
Play video: US Spacewalk 100: Installing the Seventh ISS Roll-Out Solar Array

US Spacewalk 100: Installing the Seventh ISS Roll-Out Solar Array

NASA

Duration 9:08:26

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

All the videos

  1. Why the ISS Will Be Deorbited at Point Nemo and What Comes Next

    Mission explainerCurious Droid · 14:52

    Mission: International Space Station (1998)

  2. CRS-35: Falcon 9 Launches Cargo Dragon With Final IROSA Arrays

    Launch coverageNASASpaceflight · 1:52:11

    Mission: CRS-35 (2026)

  3. Crew-12 Hatch Closure: Dragon Freedom Readies to Leave the ISS

    Launch coverageEuropean Space Agency, ESA · 36:55

    Mission: Crew-12

  4. Progress 96 Launch: Soyuz 2.1b Sends 2.8 Tons to the ISS

    Launch coverageNASA · 32:00

    Mission: Progress 96 (2026)

  6. Inside the ISS: Building, Training and Science in Orbit

    DocumentaryFree Documentary – Space · 52:17

  7. Progress 96 Docks to Poisk After a 3-Day, 49-Orbit Chase

    Launch coverageNASA · 52:21

    Mission: Progress 96 (2026)

  9. Spacewalk 99: Adenot and Meir Replace Harmony Retroreflector

    Launch coverageNASA · 9:05:30

    Mission: Expedition 75

  10. Crew-13 Prelaunch Briefing: Dragon Valve Repair and a Fast ISS Trip

    Press briefingNASA · 56:30

    Mission: Crew-13 (2026)

  11. Menon and Adenot Swap a Failed ISS Space-to-Ground Antenna

    Mission explainerNASA · 8:57:39

    Mission: U.S. Spacewalk 97

  12. Spacewalk 98: Menon and Adenot Swap a Failed ISS Antenna

    Launch coverageNASA · 8:48:15

    Mission: US Spacewalk 98

  13. Crew-7 Dragon Endurance Rendezvous and Docking with the ISS

    Launch coverageSpaceX · 2:25:50

    Mission: Crew-7 (2023)

  14. ISS Story: From Zarya’s 1998 Launch to Planned De-Orbit

    DocumentaryDW Documentary · 28:26

    Mission: International Space Station (1998)

  18. How the ISS Will Be Destroyed at Point Nemo in 2030

    DocumentaryThe B1M · 32:29

    Mission: International Space Station deorbit

  20. Thomas Pesquet’s Mission Alpha: Six Months Aboard the ISS

    DocumentaryFree Documentary – Space · 51:20

    Mission: Crew-2 (2021)

  21. ISS History: Assembly, Crises and the Plan to Deorbit by 2030

    DocumentaryClassic Aerospace History · 1:13:57

  22. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Arrival & Welcome Remarks

    Launch coverageNASA · 4:32:18

    Mission: SpaceX Crew-13 (2026)

  23. ISS iROSA Spacewalks 100 and 101: Final Solar Array Installs

    Press briefingNASA · 28:10

    Mission: ISS iROSA Spacewalks 100 and 101

  24. Crew-12 Crew Look Back on 237 Days Aboard the ISS

    Press briefingNASA · 39:56

    Mission: Crew-12

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