Design of the ISS

Throughout the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union raced in an attempt to achieve historic firsts in space and develop groundbreaking rocket and space exploration technology. This race was not unique. Throughout history, people and nations have consistently found themselves in competitions for greater discoveries and technological advancements, including global exploration, weapons development, and scientific innovation. Even the current boom in artificial intelligence has been described politically as a race between the United States and other countries such as China [1]. There are countless examples of design being used to divide people and push them apart. However, despite those competitions, there are also times where people and nations have come together to design something greater than an individual, that benefits the entire world. One such example is the International Space Station (ISS).

Figure 1: The ISS in 2018 [2].

Completing a loop around the Earth every 90 minutes, 400 kilometers up in the atmosphere, scientists from the USA, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Europe have been continuously onboard the ISS since November 2, 2000 [3,4]. Research completed there has increased humanity’s knowledge in fields of science including space and astronomy, physics, biology, and medicine[5]. Results of studies and experiments on the ISS have shown effective application on earth as well, providing an avenue for the development of medicines for incurable diseases, new robotics technologies, and ultrasound devices accessible to remote areas of the world, among other ongoing and completed projects [5].

The ISS though, is significant even outside of its research. The station was not designed by a single engineer or even a team of designers. Rather, as the name suggests, it is the result of collaboration of an international group of space agencies over the course of nearly 50 years. 

NASA calls the ISS “one of the most ambitious international collaborations ever attempted” [6]. The station was designed to include sections from each participating space agency and be pieced together modularly while in orbit. This is significant, as each party had different goals for their sections of the station and thus had different requirements for the design. 

Figure 2: An exploded view diagram of the ISS [7].

A benefit of the modular design however, is that the ISS could continue to grow and be improved upon over the years. The first two modules were launched by the United States and Russia in 1998. Astronauts started living there continuously in 2000, and soon after, another US lab module was added. In 2008, Japanese and European space agencies added modules as well [2]. The station currently includes pieces created by space agencies from the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, Europe, Brasil, and multiple private companies. Through the collective effort of nations and individuals, equipment manufactured all around the world works together seamlessly to achieve the goals of the station.

The International Space Station is the feat of a world’s worth of engineering designers. Although countries continually divide themselves, this is an incredible example of people coming together through engineering. If nothing else, the International Space Station is a beautiful demonstration of design uniting humans from around the entire world in search of truth, which benefits us all.

REFERENCES

[1] “Eric Schmidt: AI Is the New Space Race.” Time, 2024, https://time.com/7339638/eric-schmidt-ai/.

[2] “Space Station 20th: Historical Origins of ISS.” NASA, 2020, https://www.nasa.gov/history/space-station-20th-historical-origins-of-iss/.

[3] “Why Do Research on the International Space Station?” NASA, 2023, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/why-do-research-on-the-international-space-station/.

[4] “ISS History Timeline.” ISS National Lab, 2023, https://issnationallab.org/about/iss-national-lab-overview/iss-history-timeline/.

[5] “15 Ways the International Space Station Benefits Humanity Back on Earth.” NASA, 2023, https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/15-ways-the-international-space-station-benefits-humanity-back-on-earth/.

[6] “U.S. Rules Out Weapons on Planned Space Station.” The New York Times, 6 Feb. 1987, https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/06/us/us-rules-out-weapons-on-planned-space-station.html.

[7] “International Space Station Reference.” NASA, 2024, https://www.nasa.gov/reference/international-space-station/#hds-sidebar-nav-3.

[8] “International Space Station Cooperation.” NASA, 2024, https://www.nasa.gov/international-space-station/space-station-international-cooperation/.

To cite this article:
Stubbs, Ian. “Design of the ISS.” The BYU Design Review, 5 March 2026, https://www.designreview.byu.edu/collections/design-of-the-iss.