The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular space station in low Earth orbit. It is a joint project of five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). The ISS serves as a microgravity research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, materials science, and meteorology. The station is also used to test new technologies and to conduct maintenance on satellites. The ISS has been continuously inhabited since November 2000 and has hosted astronauts and cosmonauts from 17 different countries.
