How many people are on the ISS right now?
The International Space Station is almost never empty. Typically there are 7 people living and working on board, though the real number of current astronauts on the ISS ranges from 3 to 10 depending on where things stand in the rotation schedule. During "handover" days, when a spacecraft carrying the incoming crew arrives and overlaps for a few days with the outgoing one, the headcount temporarily climbs above the usual seven.
Want to see who's on board right now, with real names?
See the current ISS crewHow the ISS crew is organized
The crew of the ISS isn't an improvised group — it has a clear command structure. At the top is the commander, responsible for the station's safety and for coordinating day-to-day operations, a role that rotates between astronauts from different agencies depending on the expedition. Under the commander, flight engineers split up the technical, scientific, and maintenance work across the station's various modules.
The ISS is a joint project of five space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (European Space Agency), JAXA (Japan), and CSA (Canada). Each agency selects and trains its own astronauts, and missions are coordinated jointly to distribute seats, science tasks, and responsibilities among all the partner countries.
How long does a typical expedition last?
A standard ISS mission lasts around six months. That period is officially called an "expedition," and each one gets a sequential number (Expedition 70, 71, 72...) used to formally document who was on board and when. Some astronauts have stayed longer for logistical reasons, delays in the launch of the relief spacecraft, or even for scientific research into the long-term effects of microgravity on the human body.
💡 Fun fact: even though a "typical" expedition lasts six months, the crew doesn't arrive or leave all at once. Handovers are staggered on purpose so there's always continuity of knowledge on board — nobody is left learning everything from scratch alone.
A normal day on board the ISS
An astronaut's day on the ISS is planned in detail, almost minute by minute, and coordinated from mission control centers on the ground. Most of the time goes into scientific experiments: fluid physics, biology, medicine, materials science, and Earth observation, among many other fields that can only be studied in microgravity. The rest of the day is split between station maintenance (checking systems, changing filters, repairing equipment) and communications with mission control.
One thing that surprises a lot of people: the crew is required to spend about 2 hours a day exercising, using a treadmill, a stationary bike, and a resistance device. It's not optional or a nice-to-have — without gravity, bones and muscles weaken very quickly, and that daily training is what lets astronauts walk normally again once they return to Earth.
How the crew changes over
Crew turnover doesn't happen all at once. Today the ISS receives new crews mainly through two types of spacecraft: SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule (launched for NASA) and the Russian Soyuz spacecraft (launched for Roscosmos). When a spacecraft carrying the incoming crew arrives, it overlaps with the outgoing crew for several days to hand over responsibilities and operational knowledge, after which the previous crew returns to Earth in its own spacecraft. That overlap explains why, on a handful of specific days each year, the headcount on board can rise above 10.
Frequently asked questions
How many astronauts are currently on the ISS?
Usually there are 7 people on board, though the number ranges from 3 to 10 depending on the rotation schedule. During a few overlap days, when a new crew arrives before the previous one leaves, the count can rise temporarily.
How long does an ISS mission last?
A typical expedition lasts about 6 months, though some astronauts have stayed longer for logistical or scientific reasons. Throughout that time, the crew lives, works, and runs experiments continuously in microgravity.
Who decides who goes to the ISS?
Each partner space agency (NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA, and CSA) selects and trains its own astronauts, and missions are jointly coordinated between all the agencies under the station's international agreements.
Does the crew change all at once or gradually?
It changes gradually, not all at once. A spacecraft with the incoming crew arrives and overlaps for a few days with the outgoing crew to hand over tasks, and only then does the previous crew return to Earth in its own spacecraft.
Who's in space right now?
See who's on board right now