Short answers, pulled from the story.
The International Space Station is a modular space station in low Earth orbit, the largest human spacecraft ever constructed. It is operated by five partner agencies: NASA of the United States, Roscosmos of Russia, ESA of Europe, JAXA of Japan, and CSA of Canada.
The International Space Station travels at 7.67 kilometres per second, completing an orbit roughly every 93 minutes. It flies at about 400 kilometres above Earth, between 51.64 degrees north and south, below the Van Allen radiation belts and most space debris.
Long-term occupancy of the International Space Station began on the 2nd of November 2000 with the arrival of the Expedition 1 crew aboard Soyuz TM-31. It has hosted the longest continuous human presence in space ever since.
The International Space Station combines two previously planned stations, the United States' Space Station Freedom and the Soviet Union's Mir-2. Assembly began in November 1998 with the Russian-built Zarya module, and components were delivered by Proton, Soyuz, and Space Shuttle launches. As of June 2025 it has 43 different modules and elements.
Research on the International Space Station spans astrobiology, astronomy, physical sciences, materials science, space weather, meteorology, and human medicine. Notable work includes the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer searching for dark matter and studies of bone loss, muscle atrophy, and bacteria surviving in space.
Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos holds the record for the longest time spent in space, accumulating nearly 1,111 days across five long-duration missions on the International Space Station. Peggy Whitson of NASA and Axiom Space has spent more time in space than any other American, over 675 days.
The International Space Station is expected to remain operational until the end of 2030, after which it is planned to be de-orbited using the US Deorbit Vehicle, a spacecraft NASA contracted SpaceX to build in June 2024. Critique of the de-orbit plan and a proposal to park it at a higher orbit have gathered congressional support.