All Space Stations

International 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.

Soviet 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.

United 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.

Soviet Union · 1971

Salyut 1 was the world's first space station, launched by the Soviet Union in 1971.

Soviet 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.

Soviet 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.

Soviet Union · 1973–1976

Almaz was a series of Soviet military space stations flown under Salyut designations (Salyut 2, 3, and 5), developed for reconnaissance.

China · 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.

United States · 2006–2008

Genesis I was an uncrewed experimental inflatable habitat launched by Bigelow Aerospace to test expandable space-structure technology.

United States · 2007–

Genesis II was a second uncrewed inflatable habitat demonstrator from Bigelow Aerospace, building on Genesis I.

United 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.

International 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.