Living and working in space
How humans travel, live, and do science in orbit — 12 space stations and 89 interconnected entities spanning crewed spacecraft, ISS modules, expeditions, spacewalks, programs, and the people who fly.
12 space stations · 17 station modules · 11 crewed spacecraft · 5 cargo spacecraft · 14 human spaceflight programs · 5 astronauts · 10 expeditions · 6 spacewalks (evas) · 3 docking systems · 1 life-support systems · 1 space experiments · 4 space medicine topics
Space stations
All stations →International Space Station
OperationalInternational partnership · 1998–present
The International Space Station is a continuously crewed modular laboratory in low Earth orbit, operated as a partnership among NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and the CSA — the largest human-made structure in space.
Mir
DeorbitedSoviet Union / Russia · 1986–2001
Mir was the Soviet and later Russian modular space station, the first long-term research station in orbit and a proving ground for the international cooperation that followed.
Skylab
ReenteredUnited States · 1973–1974 (crewed)
Skylab was the first United States space station, crewed by three missions in 1973–1974, which carried out solar astronomy and studies of human adaptation to spaceflight.
Salyut 1
DeorbitedSoviet Union · 1971
Salyut 1 was the world's first space station, launched by the Soviet Union in 1971.
Salyut 6
DeorbitedSoviet Union · 1977–1982
Salyut 6 was a second-generation Soviet space station whose two docking ports enabled long-duration crews and resupply by Progress cargo craft.
Salyut 7
DeorbitedSoviet Union · 1982–1986 (crewed)
Salyut 7 was the last of the Salyut space stations and a bridge to the modular Mir, notable for a daring 1985 mission to revive the powered-down station.
Almaz
CompletedSoviet Union · 1973–1976
Almaz was a series of Soviet military space stations flown under Salyut designations (Salyut 2, 3, and 5), developed for reconnaissance.
Tiangong
OperationalChina · 2021–present
Tiangong is China's modular space station, assembled from the Tianhe core module and the Wentian and Mengtian laboratory modules and continuously crewed since 2022.
Genesis I
DecommissionedUnited States · 2006–2008
Genesis I was an uncrewed experimental inflatable habitat launched by Bigelow Aerospace to test expandable space-structure technology.
Genesis II
DecommissionedUnited States · 2007–
Genesis II was a second uncrewed inflatable habitat demonstrator from Bigelow Aerospace, building on Genesis I.
Axiom Station
PlannedUnited States
Axiom Station is a planned commercial space station; its first modules are intended to attach to the ISS before later flying free. It is not yet operational.
Lunar Gateway
PlannedInternational partnership
The Lunar Gateway is a planned small space station in orbit around the Moon, to be built by NASA and international partners as part of the Artemis program. It is not yet operational.
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All Space Stations
Every space station in the encyclopedia, past, present, and planned.
Operational Space Stations
Space stations currently crewed and in operation.
Historical Space Stations
Space stations that have been deorbited or retired.
Planned Space Stations
Future stations under development — not yet operational.
ISS Modules
The pressurized modules that make up the International Space Station.
Human Spaceflight Programs
The programs that have carried humans into space.
Crewed Spacecraft
Spacecraft built to carry people.
Cargo Spacecraft
Uncrewed vehicles that resupply space stations.
Astronauts
People who have flown into space, from the pioneers to today.
Cosmonauts
Russian and Soviet space travellers.
Taikonauts
Chinese space travellers.
ISS Expeditions
The long-duration resident crews of the International Space Station.
EVAs and Spacewalks
Historic extravehicular activities.
Spacewalk Milestones
The firsts of working outside a spacecraft.
Commercial Crew
Commercially developed crewed spacecraft serving the ISS.
Lunar Human Spaceflight
Spacecraft, programs, and stations for crewed exploration of the Moon.
Space Station Systems & Science
The systems that keep a station running and the science done aboard — docking, life support, experiments, and space medicine.
Data & provenance
The human-spaceflight encyclopedia is curated from authoritative public sources — NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, JAXA, CSA, and the Smithsonian. Crew rosters, launch and landing dates, EVA durations, and station modules are well-established public facts; uncertain values are omitted, and planned stations are clearly marked as not yet operational. See the source quality page.