International Space Station (ISS), artwork. The modules, components, and spacecraft present here include Soyuz and Progress capsules (black), the European Space Agencys Columbus module (installed in 2008), the Canadarm2 robotic arm, and multiple truss components with their arrays of solar panels (blue). The ISS, built in stages since 1998, is a collaborative project between the national space agencies of the USA, Canada, Japan, Russia and Europe. It orbits at an altitude of around 360 kilometres, has been crewed since 2000, is scheduled for completion in 2012, and will remain operational until at least 2020.
