How to get to the ISS

Explore the key steps that take astronauts from Earth to the International Space Station

These are the steps that astronauts take to travel to the International Space Station

Since the first piece of the International Space Station (ISS) was launched into orbit in November 1998, it’s become the ideal laboratory to test and explore our space knowledge. Orbiting Earth at an altitude of around 250 miles, the station has housed astronauts every day since November 2000. Some of the most important knowledge the ISS has provided us with is how prolonged exposure to the space environment can affect the human body. It has also proven that a long-term human presence in space is possible. Over 240 people have experienced life aboard this satellite, carrying out experiments on machines, plants, animals and themselves. But how did these astronauts make it from our planet to their temporary low-gravity home? Three types of spacecraft have taken astronauts to the ISS: the Space Shuttle, Soyuz and now Spacex vehicles. Each of the three share the success of delivering people to the space station, but they differ greatly in design. The Space Shuttle was the first to carry astronauts to the ISS, and was shaped like a plane, but after the tragic Columbia disaster in 2003, it was retired from service. Subsequent designs put more emphasis on safety, and both Soyuz and Spacex vehicles are capsule-shaped. To ensure a safe voyage, an astronaut’s journey begins a long time before walking up to the launch pad. They need to be confident about working on the ISS and controlling a spacecraft mid-flight before going into space. Although experience in these exact conditions is impossible before launching into the real environment, water-filled pools provide astronauts with adequate low-gravity training on Earth, while simulators can prepare them for a range of scenarios that could occur in flight.