The International Space Station, module by module

The American laboratory and nerve centre of the US segment: the station is commanded from here, and most experiments run here.

Reports in Life support, Thermal, Command & data.

The first American connecting node, the crossroads between the Russian segment and Destiny.

The forward node: it connects the European and Japanese laboratories and receives vehicles docking at the front.

Reports in Life support, Thermal.

The node housing the life-support systems: water recycling, oxygen generation, toilet and exercise equipment.

Reports in Life support, Thermal.

Seven windows facing Earth. It doubles as the robotic-arm control station and is the crews’ favourite spot.

The European Space Agency laboratory, berthed on the starboard side of Harmony, with the Bartolomeo platform on its end cone.

The largest module on the station, and the main pressurised volume of the Japanese laboratory.

The storage attic mounted on top of Kibo, holding experiment racks and supplies.

The American airlock: astronauts spend the night inside at reduced pressure before a spacewalk.

Reports in Life support.

A former Italian cargo carrier, now the station’s permanent storeroom.

An experimental inflatable module: launched folded, expanded in orbit. It now serves as storage and as a testbed for soft habitats.

A commercial airlock used to deploy small satellites and jettison waste, without tying up the crew airlock.

The pressurised joint between Unity and Zarya — the seam between the American and Russian segments.

The forward docking port on Harmony. Its International Docking Adapter lets crew vehicles dock automatically.

The second automatic docking port, mounted on the zenith side of Harmony.

The first element launched, in 1998. It provided power and propulsion in the early days.

The Russian service module: crew quarters, thruster-based attitude control and docking port for Progress vehicles.

A small Russian module serving as both airlock and docking port, on the zenith side of Zvezda.

A Russian storage module and docking port, attached beneath Zarya.

The Russian laboratory that arrived in 2021, fitted with the European ERA arm.

A small Russian sphere docked below Nauka, with six ports that multiply the berths available to Soyuz and Progress craft.

The first truss piece launched, mounted above Unity. It carries the four control moment gyroscopes that point the station, and the Ku-band antenna.

Reports in Attitude & orbit.

The centre segment, bolted to the Destiny laboratory. Everything else on the truss extends from here.

Reports in Command & data.

Carries the starboard heat-rejection radiator and the S-band antenna group.

Holds the starboard rotary joint and the attachment sites for two logistics carriers.

The starboard inboard photovoltaic module: power channels 1A and 3A, with their batteries.

A short spacer linking S4 to the outboard S6 segment.

The starboard outboard photovoltaic module, at the far end of the truss: channels 1B and 3B.

Carries the port heat-rejection radiator and the second S-band antenna group.

Holds the port rotary joint and the attachment sites for two logistics carriers.

The port inboard photovoltaic module: power channels 2A and 4A, with their batteries.

A short spacer linking P4 to the outboard P6 segment.

The port outboard photovoltaic module, at the far end of the truss: channels 2B and 4B.

A 3-metre rotary joint that turns the entire port outboard truss to track the Sun — one full revolution every orbit.

Reports in Power.

Same role as its port counterpart, for the starboard side.

Reports in Power.

A solar wing spanning 34 metres. Its orientation combines the SARJ rotation, which tracks the Sun around the orbit, with the BGA rotation, which compensates for the seasonal tilt.

Reports in Power.

A solar wing spanning 34 metres. Its orientation combines the SARJ rotation, which tracks the Sun around the orbit, with the BGA rotation, which compensates for the seasonal tilt.

Reports in Power.

A solar wing spanning 34 metres. Its orientation combines the SARJ rotation, which tracks the Sun around the orbit, with the BGA rotation, which compensates for the seasonal tilt.

Reports in Power.

A solar wing spanning 34 metres. Its orientation combines the SARJ rotation, which tracks the Sun around the orbit, with the BGA rotation, which compensates for the seasonal tilt.

Reports in Power.

A solar wing spanning 34 metres. Its orientation combines the SARJ rotation, which tracks the Sun around the orbit, with the BGA rotation, which compensates for the seasonal tilt.

Reports in Power.

A solar wing spanning 34 metres. Its orientation combines the SARJ rotation, which tracks the Sun around the orbit, with the BGA rotation, which compensates for the seasonal tilt.

Reports in Power.

A solar wing spanning 34 metres. Its orientation combines the SARJ rotation, which tracks the Sun around the orbit, with the BGA rotation, which compensates for the seasonal tilt.

Reports in Power.

A solar wing spanning 34 metres. Its orientation combines the SARJ rotation, which tracks the Sun around the orbit, with the BGA rotation, which compensates for the seasonal tilt.

Reports in Power.

Rotates the port radiator to keep it edge-on to the Sun.

Reports in Thermal.

Rotates the starboard radiator for the same reason.

Reports in Thermal.

Three white panels that dump waste heat into space — around 70 kW for the station as a whole.

Reports in Thermal.

The mirror-image radiator, fed by the second ammonia loop.

Reports in Thermal.

A 17-metre robotic arm that catches free-flying cargo ships and serves as a crane for spacewalkers.

The two-armed robot fitted to the end of Canadarm2, able to swap external units without a spacewalk.

The flatcar that rides rails along the truss, carrying Canadarm2 to wherever it is needed.

The large dish that sends video and high-rate data up to the TDRS relay satellites.

Reports in Communications.

One of the two low-rate links carrying voice and commands to the ground.

Reports in Communications.

The second S-band assembly, redundant with the first.

Reports in Communications.

A seven-tonne particle detector bolted to the truss. It hunts antimatter and dark matter by analysing cosmic rays above the atmosphere that would otherwise stop them.

The terrace outside Kibo where experiments sit directly in vacuum, served by the module’s own robotic arm.

A spare-parts pallet mounted on the Destiny laboratory.

A spare-parts pallet mounted beside the Quest airlock.

A spare-parts pallet on the starboard truss.

An external rack holding spare units and experiments, reachable by the robotic arm.

An external rack on the starboard truss, carrying spares and payloads.

An external rack on the port truss, carrying spares and payloads.

An external rack on the starboard truss, carrying spares and payloads.