HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON THE ISS?

Published 13 September 2026 · Updated 13 September 2026

How many people are on the ISS right now?

There are usually seven people aboard the International Space Station. That has been the standard crew since 2021, though the figure swings between three and eleven during handovers, when the arriving spacecraft and the departing one spend a few days docked at the same time. Today's exact number, with names and the vehicle each person arrived on, is on our crew page, updated with every expedition change.

Why does the number change every few months?

Because nobody lives up there indefinitely: crews rotate. A standard expedition lasts five to seven months, and when it ends the replacements arrive before the outgoing crew leaves.

During those overlap days both crews live aboard at once, and that is when the count spikes: eleven people for a week is not unusual. As soon as the departing vehicle undocks, the number settles back down.

It also rises briefly during short private missions, which spend a week or two aboard and then come home.

What is the standard ISS crew?

Seven people, split across the station's two main segments: normally four on the US segment, which groups the NASA, ESA, JAXA and Canadian modules, and three on the Russian segment.

It was not always this way. Crew size has grown as spacecraft capable of bringing more people home became available:

What actually limits how many people fit?

Not room, not air, not food: the number of return seats. The station's golden rule is that at any moment there must be space for everyone aboard to evacuate in the docked spacecraft if an emergency happens.

That is why the permanent crew grew to six once two Soyuz were docked together, and to seven when Crew Dragon added four seats in one go. Living space allows for considerably more: the station has six individual crew quarters, and the seventh crew member sleeps in a bag strapped to a bulkhead, which in zero gravity is less uncomfortable than it sounds.

What is the record for most people aboard at once?

Thirteen, in July 2009, when Space Shuttle Endeavour arrived with seven astronauts on mission STS-127 and joined the six of Expedition 20. It remains the ISS occupancy record and is hard to beat today: no spacecraft in service carries seven people at a time.

How many people have visited the ISS since 2000?

More than 280 individuals from over twenty countries, according to NASA, counting long-duration crew members, shuttle visitors, private mission astronauts and space tourists.

The count starts on 2 November 2000, when Expedition 1 — American Bill Shepherd and Russians Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev — opened the hatch and began a human occupation that has not been interrupted for a single day since.

Frequently asked questions

Is there always someone on the ISS?

Yes. Since 2 November 2000 there has not been a single day without humans aboard. It is the longest continuous human presence off Earth.

How long does each astronaut stay up there?

Five to seven months is normal. There have been far longer stays for technical or scientific reasons, but the usual rotation is around half a year.

Could the station ever be left empty?

Technically yes: the ISS can be controlled from the ground and contingency plans exist to leave it uncrewed temporarily. They have never had to be used.

Do private mission crews count?

Yes, while they are aboard. Private missions typically spend one to two weeks on the station, and the headcount rises for that period.

Where can I see the current figure?

On our crew page, with names, each person's agency and the spacecraft they arrived on. And if you also want to know where they are flying right now, the real-time map shows it second by second.