Connecting

Currently orbiting Earth at about 27,600 km/h

ISS EXPLORER / MISSION CONTROL

International Space Station

Track the ISS live, learn how it works, and discover when you can see it from Earth.

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ISS / 25544LOW EARTH ORBIT

NASA imagery. Live ground track: finding station

Current altitude

About 400 km

The exact height changes as orbit maintenance adjusts the station.

Orbital speed

About 27,600 km/h

Fast enough to circle Earth in roughly 90 minutes.

Orbits per day

About 16

The crew sees day and night many times in one Earth day.

Station status

Crewed

A continuously inhabited orbital laboratory since November 2000.

Last updated

No update yet

Live telemetry refreshes about every 10 seconds when reachable.

PEOPLE / SCIENCE / ORBIT

The orbiting lab, right now.

Meet the crew, explore recent research and catch up on news from 400 kilometres above Earth.

Discover life on board ↗

—people on board

Source currently unavailable

NASA / Station dispatches

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EXPLORE / 01

Your window into orbit.

One station. Three perspectives. Discover what's happening above us.

Orbital period— minWaiting for altitude data

01 /

Follow the station

Earth in 3D. The ISS in sight.

02 /

Find your next sighting

Your location. Your moment in the sky.

03 /

Discover life in orbit

Science, everyday life and big questions.

Live tracker

Where is the ISS right now?

The tracker updates the station position, draws its recent path, and shows live telemetry from the current orbit.

Open full tracker

Learn fast

Learn the ISS in 5 minutes

Start with a guided learning journey about orbit, microgravity, station life, science, docking, and spacewalks.

Open learning guide

Orbit, speed, and why the station keeps missing the ground

Microgravity, floating astronauts, and daily life onboard

Science, docking, spacewalks, and station operations

Viewing guide

Can you see the ISS tonight?

The ISS is easiest to spot shortly after sunset or before sunrise, when the sky is dark but the station is still lit by the Sun.

Check visible passes

Best shortly after sunset or before sunrise

Looks like a bright moving star

Visibility depends on location, sky conditions, and orbit path

NASA media library

Featured NASA station views.

A small preview of real NASA imagery. Open the full gallery for more station visuals, Earth views, crew work, and research scenes.

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NASA / ESA / Thomas Pesquet