Right now, there are humans hurtling through space at 17,500 mph above your head — and you can see them with the naked eye on a clear night.
The ISS travels at 17,500 mph (approximately 7.7 km/s or 5 miles per second), completing one full orbit of Earth every 90 minutes. In a single 24-hour day, the crew sees 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets.
But that’s just the start. Here are 15 facts about the International Space Station that most people — including space enthusiasts — don’t actually know.
In this guide you’ll also find out: why the ISS internet is practically unplayable for gaming, what happens to it in 2030, and how it manages to stay in orbit without an engine constantly running.
The ISS at a Glance: Key Numbers for 2026
| Fact | Number |
| Speed | 17,500 mph (7.7 km/s / 5 miles per second) |
| Orbital altitude | 250–260 miles (400–420 km) above Earth |
| Orbital period | 90 minutes per full orbit |
| Orbits per day | 16 |
| Sunrises per day (for crew) | 16 |
| Days continuously inhabited | Over 25 years (since November 2, 2000) |
| Total orbits completed | 154,278+ as of December 2025 |
| Planned decommission | End of 2030 (US Senate debating extension to 2032) |
| Distance from Moon | Approx. 240,000 miles — 1,000x further than the ISS is from Earth |
| Temperature in space outside | -250°F to +250°F (-157°C to +121°C) |
Fact 1: The ISS Travels Faster Than a Speeding Bullet — By a Lot
The ISS moves at 17,500 mph. A typical rifle bullet travels at around 1,700 mph. The space station is moving 10 times faster than a bullet — continuously, every second of every day.
At that speed, it crosses the entire United States in under 10 minutes. London to New York in about 12 minutes. The entire circumference of Earth in 90 minutes.
This speed is not accidental — it’s what keeps the station in orbit. The ISS is essentially falling toward Earth constantly, but moving sideways so fast that the curve of the Earth keeps dropping away beneath it. It’s a perpetual controlled fall.
Fact 2: It Sees 16 Sunrises Every Single Day
Because the ISS completes an orbit every 90 minutes, it crosses the day/night boundary 16 times every 24 hours. The crew experiences 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets daily.
Sleeping in this environment is genuinely difficult. Astronauts use blackout blinds in their sleeping quarters and follow rigid schedules tied to UTC time — not the light outside their windows.
Fact 3: How the ISS Stays in Orbit Without Constantly Firing Engines
This is one of the most common misconceptions about the ISS. People assume it needs constant thrust to avoid falling. It doesn’t.
The ISS stays in orbit through a balance of speed and gravity. At 17,500 mph at an altitude of about 250 miles, the gravitational pull of Earth is perfectly balanced by the centrifugal force of circular motion. No engine required.
However — there is a catch. The ISS experiences very slight atmospheric drag even at 250 miles altitude. This causes the orbit to decay by about 2 km per month. Periodic ‘reboost’ burns using thrusters (often from docked spacecraft like Progress resupply vehicles) raise the orbit again. Without these boosts, the ISS would gradually spiral down and burn up in the atmosphere over years.
Fact 4: The ISS Is the Largest Human-Made Object in Space
The ISS is about the size of a football field — 357 feet (109 meters) long, 240 feet (73 meters) wide. It weighs approximately 420,000 kg (925,000 lbs). Nothing else built by humans and currently in space comes close to its size.
It has a pressurized living and working volume roughly equivalent to a 6-bedroom house — about 32,000 cubic feet (900 cubic meters). Tight for seven people, but remarkably spacious for a structure assembled in orbit from dozens of separately launched modules.
Fact 5: The WiFi on the ISS Is Painfully Slow
Here’s the one that shocks people the most. The ISS has WiFi — it was added in 2010 — but by Earth standards, it’s roughly equivalent to a poor 3G connection.
The ISS connects to Earth via the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system — a network of geostationary satellites at 22,000 miles altitude. The round-trip signal distance is nearly 50,000 miles, creating a latency of at least 500ms and up to 1,000ms (a full second). For comparison, typical Earth broadband latency is 20-50ms.
Crew internet speed for everyday browsing is in the single-digit to low-double-digit Mbps range. NASA can schedule higher-throughput science data transfers, but the crew’s day-to-day browsing experience is nothing like home. And online gaming? Essentially unplayable with 500-1,000ms ping.
Why not use Starlink? SpaceX’s satellites orbit at a much lower altitude and would be geometrically close to the ISS. But Starlink operates a different network to TDRS, and replacing existing ISS communications infrastructure is not straightforward. Laser/optical communication upgrades are in development.
Fact 6: It Has Hosted Astronauts From 20 Countries
More than 270 people from 20 different countries have visited the ISS since it was first inhabited in November 2000. The station is a joint project of five space agencies: NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). It is the single greatest example of sustained international scientific cooperation in human history — and this remained true even during periods of significant geopolitical tension between the US and Russia.
Fact 7: The ISS Is 25+ Years Old and Still Running
The first module (Zarya) launched in November 1998. The first crew arrived November 2, 2000. As of June 2026, the ISS has been continuously inhabited for over 25 years — the longest unbroken human presence in space in history. No other space station has come close to this record.
The station completed its 154,278th orbit by December 2025. That’s equivalent to traveling to the Moon and back over 300 times.
Fact 8: Temperature Outside Swings 500 Degrees
In direct sunlight, the exterior of the ISS reaches about +250°F (+121°C). In the shadow of Earth, it plunges to -250°F (-157°C). Every 90-minute orbit involves this 500-degree swing — which is why the ISS requires extensive thermal control systems including radiators, insulation, and a complex heat exchange network.
Inside, it’s maintained at a comfortable 65-80°F (18-27°C). The thermal management system is one of the most complex on the station.
Fact 9: The ISS Is Visible From the Ground With the Naked Eye
On a clear night, the ISS appears as a bright, fast-moving point of light — brighter than any star except the Moon. It moves visibly across the sky in about 2-5 minutes during a typical pass.
It’s visible from anywhere between 51.6°N and 51.6°S latitude — which covers the vast majority of the world’s populated areas. You can use NASA’s Spot the Station tool or the ISS tracker at spotthestation.nasa.gov to find the next visible pass from your exact location. No telescope needed.
Fact 10: The Russian Brick Incident Is Real
In 2013, Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin was conducting a spacewalk when a floating piece of debris — apparently a small piece of plastic — was spotted drifting inside the station. The crew initially had no idea what it was. It turned out to be a small piece of a toilet that had broken off.
More famously, in 2019 a Russian crew member was accused of drilling a hole in a Soyuz capsule docked to the ISS. The incident was never fully resolved publicly, but Russian investigators reportedly identified the cosmonaut responsible for the accidental damage during pre-launch manufacturing. The hole was patched and the capsule remained safe.
Fact 11: How Far Is the ISS From the Moon?
The ISS orbits at about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth’s surface. The Moon is approximately 238,855 miles (384,400 km) away. That means the Moon is roughly 1,000 times further from Earth than the ISS is.
To put it differently: if the ISS-to-Earth distance were 1 inch, the Moon would be about 83 feet away. The ISS is in low Earth orbit — it is emphatically not ‘in deep space’ or anywhere near the Moon. It’s barely above the atmosphere in cosmic terms.
Fact 12: The ISS Has Its Own Gym
Astronauts must exercise for at least 2 hours every day on the ISS. Without gravity, muscles and bones rapidly weaken — astronauts can lose up to 1-2% of bone density per month without resistance exercise. The station has a treadmill, a stationary bike, and an Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) — essentially a high-tech weight machine that uses vacuum cylinders to simulate gravity-based resistance.
Fact 13: Are There People in Space Right Now?
Yes — almost certainly. The ISS has been continuously inhabited since November 2, 2000, and there are typically 6-7 crew members on board at any given time. During crew handover periods, up to 11-13 people may be aboard simultaneously. You can check the current ISS crew on NASA’s ISS website or at spotthestation.nasa.gov.
Fact 14: The ISS Has a One-Day Length
Despite seeing 16 sunrises, the crew works on a standard 24-hour day tied to UTC time. They have a fixed schedule of work, exercise, meals, and sleep — enforced by alarms and schedules rather than natural light. Some astronauts report finding this one of the most psychologically challenging aspects of the mission.
Fact 15: The ISS Is Being Decommissioned — But When?
NASA has confirmed a target decommission date of end of 2030. After retirement, the plan is to deorbit the ISS using a purpose-built US Deorbit Vehicle — a SpaceX-built spacecraft that will guide the station on a controlled reentry. The debris will be targeted at the South Pacific Uninhabited Area (commonly called Point Nemo) — the most remote location on Earth, already used as a ‘spacecraft cemetery’ for decommissioned satellites and space stations.
However, as of 2026 the US Senate is considering legislation to extend ISS operations to 2032. Russia has indicated it may detach its segment before deorbit to form the core of a new Russian orbital station. Commercial successors including Axiom Space (which raised $400M in 2026) and Vast’s Haven-1 and Haven-2 stations are in development.
Bottom Line
| ✅ Speed | 17,500 mph — 10x faster than a rifle bullet |
| ✅ Orbit | Every 90 minutes — 16 sunrises per day |
| ✅ WiFi | Single-digit Mbps, 500-1000ms latency — not great |
| ✅ Decommission | End of 2030 (possibly extended to 2032) |
| ✅ Can you see it? | Yes — naked eye, no telescope needed |
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast does the ISS travel?
The ISS travels at approximately 17,500 mph (7.7 km/s or 5 miles per second). This speed keeps it in a stable orbit about 250 miles above Earth, completing one full orbit every 90 minutes.
How fast is the internet on the ISS?
Crew internet browsing speeds are in the single-digit to low-double-digit Mbps range with latency of 500-1,000ms — significantly worse than typical home broadband. Data transfers for science experiments can be higher when scheduled, but everyday crew internet is roughly equivalent to slow 3G.
Does the ISS have WiFi?
Yes — WiFi was added to the ISS in 2010. Astronauts can browse the internet, email family, and access entertainment. However, the connection is slow and high-latency due to the 50,000-mile round-trip signal distance via relay satellites.
How often does the ISS orbit Earth?
The ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes, completing 16 orbits per 24-hour day. The crew experiences 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets each day.
When is the ISS being decommissioned?
NASA has confirmed a target decommission date of end of 2030. After retirement, it will be deorbited using a SpaceX-built US Deorbit Vehicle, with debris targeted at the remote South Pacific. The US Senate is considering extending operations to 2032.
Are people in space right now?
Almost certainly yes. The ISS has been continuously inhabited since November 2, 2000 — over 25 years without a gap. There are typically 6-7 crew members on board at any time.
