Where is the International Space Station? ISS live tracker – Express.co.uk

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits the Earth some 220 miles above its surface at incredible speeds of 7.6 km/s (17,134 mph).

Circling the planet roughly every 90 minutes, the largest man-made satellite in space can be tracked live over the internet.

Every 24 hours it completes about 15 trips around the planet, passing from day to night every 45 minutes.

According to NASA, lucky observers can catch a glimpse of the ISS "[once] a month to several [times] a week", when it is dusk or dawn. Chances are however it will look nothing more than a white speck dashing across the sky.

Astronomy enthusiasts who want to find out when their next sighting is, can find a full list here.

The ISS also offers a 24 hour live stream of the fascinating views of the planet underneath it. You can watch the stream below:

GETTYISS TRACKER

Every 45 minutes the stream cuts out as it enters the dark of the night and is replaced by pre-recorded footage of Earth.

The station was first launched into space in 1988 as a joint-international scientific research station.

After several parts being added to the station, it received its first human crew on November 2, 2000, and finally saw completion in 2011.

On the inside it is roughly the size of a house with five bedrooms and contains two bathrooms and even a gym. Six people are able to live in it at once.

REUTERS

1 of 16

Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft carrying crew of US' Fischer and Yurchikhin of Russia blasts off to the ISS from launchpad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome

It weighs in at roughly 10 million pounds, and is filled with science labs from the US, Russia, Japan and Europe.

Space looks like a carpet of countless tiny perfect unblinking lights in endless velvet

Chris Hadfield, Astronaut

The ISS is home away from home to the astronauts from across the planet who fly to space to carry out tests not possible to conduct on Earth.

It is an invaluable part of NASAs plans to send humans into deep space, and provides research on what happens to people who live in orbit.

The space station came into public awareness thanks toastronaut Chris Hadfieldwhose rendition of David Bowies Space Oddity went viral on the internet.

GETTY

Mr Hadfield rode the wave of his popularity by continuing to create and share entertaining and educational videos on board the ISS.

In a public Reddit chat he described the views he had from space: Australia looks coolest - the colours and textures of the Outback are severly artistic.

The most beautiful to me are the Bahamas, the vast glowing reefs of every shade of blue that exists.

He added: [Space] looks like a carpet of countless tiny perfect unblinking lights in endless velvet, with the Milky Way as a glowing area of paler texture.

More here:
Where is the International Space Station? ISS live tracker - Express.co.uk