International Space Station (ISS)

The International Space Station (ISS) is a multinational collaborative project involving space agencies from the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe. It serves as a research laboratory in low Earth orbit. The ISS is newsworthy due to recent events including a medical issue requiring the early return of astronauts. A crew including NASA's Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky recently returned to Earth after a 245-day mission. NASA is considering another early return due to an unspecified medical concern affecting an astronaut. Furthermore, veteran NASA astronaut Suni Williams, who spent nine months on the ISS after a delayed test flight, has retired after 27 years with the agency. These events highlight the ongoing operations, challenges, and personnel changes associated with maintaining a long-term human presence in space.