International Space Station Mission Insignia

The International Space Station was first launched into orbit on November 20, 1998. The first module, name Zarya, was launched aboard a Russian Proton rocket. The second module, called Unity, was launched aboard the Space Shuttle during mission STS-88 and the two units were joined together. The station continued to expand until the last module was installed on March 1, 2011. The first long-duration crew departed for the station on November 2, 2000. Known as Expedition 1, the crew consisted of two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut. The crew remained on the station for 136 days. The end of the Space Shuttle program created a problem for the space station. The only transportation to and from the station was aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Commercial supply flights to the station began in late 2012. Several new launch systems are currently being developed by NASA and commercial companies that will eventually be able to transport astronauts to the space station.