International Space Station's (ISS) International Partners

ISS is the largest, permanently manned research facility currently orbiting Earth. Traveling at a speed of about 27,700 km per hour, the International Space Station orbits Earth almost 16 times each day. Like many other satellites and spacecraft, the ISS operates in low Earth orbit, the area between 300 km and 2,000 km above the Earth's surface. 

ISS Origins

While the ISS represents a long-term project started and continued by a number of different countries, initially, most countries currently involved with ISS had planned to build their own separate space stations. In fact, in 1984, then-President Ronald Regan had announced that the United States planned to build Space Station Freedom.
 
At the time, social, political and economic factors had led the United States to become engaged in a "Cold War" with the former Soviet Union. The space race, in which the former Soviet Union and the United States raced to be the first to explore space, was a result of this Cold War.
 
However, as the Soviet Union fell apart and the United States found itself unable to fund this massive space project, the space race ended, leaving the Space Station Freedom in the planning stage. Because other countries were also still planning their space stations, the United States petitioned them to come together and construct a single, larger facility that would truly be international in nature.

International Agencies Involved with ISS

Today, the following agencies from various countries around the world are the primary participants at ISS:
  • Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
  • European Space Agency (ESA)
  • Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
  • National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
  • Russian Aviation and Space Agency, also called Roskosmos (RKA).
Along with these countries, Brazil and Italy also work on ISS on a contractual basis, as laid out in their respective contracts with NASA. While China has shown interest in working on ISS, especially because it will allow the Chinese to work with RKA, this country has yet to get involved with the project. 

NASA

Established in 1958, the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) is one of the oldest government-related space agencies in the world. While NASA headquarters are located in Washington, D.C., this space agency has a number of satellite offices in many states, including:
  • Alabama
  • California
  • Florida
  • Ohio.
NASA's first missions, sparked as a reaction to the Cold War with the former Soviet Union, revolved around figuring out whether or not space could sustain human life.
 
Through the decades, NASA has achieved major milestones in space exploration and aeronautic technology. Some of these include the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. Today, NASA's mission statement involves being at the forefront of "space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research."

The European Space Agency

Founded in 1974, the ESA is the collective space agency that represents 17 different European countries, including:
  • Austria
  • Denmark
  • England
  • France
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Spain.
At headquarters in Paris, France, the ESA is a large organization that employs nearly 2,000. Because the ESA includes a number of "member" countries, it has many satellite offices scattered throughout Europe.
 
About two decades after its first launch in 1975, the ESA rose to be the leading agency to perform commercial launches. Today, the ESA is one of the primary leaders of space development and exploration.

The Canadian Space Agency

Created in 1989 with the passage of the Canadian Space Agency Act, the CSA is headed by Canada's president. Its main headquarters, referred to as the John H. Chapman Space Centre, are located in Saint-Hubert, Quebec. However, the CSA also has satellite offices in Ontario, France and throughout the United States.
 
The central mission of the CSA is to further the exploration and knowledge of space to enhance the lives of both Canadians and humanity in general. Because Canada has never had the capabilities to launch satellites and spacecraft into space, the CSA works closely with NASA, ESA and other space agencies to perform all of its missions.
 
Resource
 
NASA (updated February 7, 2008). NASA: International Space Station. Retrieved February 7, 2008 from the NASA Web site.