For a quarter of a century, a unique laboratory where humans have never stopped living and working has been circling above our heads. The International Space Station (ISS) marked 25 years of continuous human presence in orbit in early November 2025. Since November 2, 2000, when the first permanent three-person crew opened the doors of the orbital complex, almost 300 astronauts and cosmonauts from more than twenty countries have passed through this "station in the neighborhood." During this period, the ISS has turned into a symbol of scientific curiosity, international cooperation, and the use of space for the benefit of life on Earth.

Unlike earlier generations of spaceflights, which were limited to short missions and the demonstration of technological power, the ISS was conceived as a long-term, permanently inhabited facility in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The station orbits the planet at an altitude of about 400 kilometers, circling the Earth approximately every 90 minutes. On this "space balcony," the limits of human endurance are tested, as well as technologies that improve daily life – from medical diagnostics and drug development to advanced materials, sensors, and systems for monitoring the climate and environment. As the ISS slowly approaches the planned end of its operational life around 2030, it continues to be a key driver of scientific discoveries and a space where the future space industry is being born.

From a political project to a national laboratory

In the early nineties, the ISS was primarily a geopolitical project: a symbol of post-Cold War cooperation between the USA, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. But by the mid-2000s, the conviction matured that such an infrastructural "jewel" must also serve the wider civilian sector. The turning point came in 2005, when the US Congress formally designated the US segment of the station as a national laboratory. With this, the ISS gained a status similar to large laboratories on Earth – for example, national particle accelerators or large research centers – but with a unique asset: constant access to microgravity.

The decision of Congress opened the doors to a wider circle of users. Instead of research on the station being limited mainly to NASA's internal projects, the new framework enabled the participation of other federal agencies, universities, hospitals, non-profit organizations, and, what is especially important, private companies. The idea was clear: by utilizing the ISS as a national laboratory, additional value needed to be created for taxpayers, technological development accelerated, and the formation of a sustainable economy in Low Earth Orbit encouraged.

CASIS and the genesis of the ISS National Laboratory

To fully realize this potential, NASA selected the non-profit organization Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) in 2011 through a competitive process to manage the ISS National Laboratory – the American national laboratory in space. CASIS was given the task to "bring down" the ISS into the world of the real economy: to find researchers, companies, and institutions for whom microgravity could give a key advantage over classical laboratories on Earth.

Since then, CASIS has acted as an interface between the space laboratory and users. The organization helps scientists and entrepreneurs turn their ideas into feasible missions: from defining goals, through the engineering design of the experiment, to the logistics of launch and return of cargo to Earth. The ISS National Laboratory has thus become a multi-user platform equally used by pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology startups, manufacturers of advanced materials, climate scientists, but also educational institutions that send pupil and student experiments into orbit.

It is important to emphasize that the ISS National Laboratory has up to half of the American research capacity on the station at its disposal: part of the space and cargo mass on commercial resupply missions and a significant share of the working time of American astronauts are intended precisely for projects not conducted by NASA itself. The remaining part of the capacity remains focused on research related to future missions to the Moon and Mars, the development of a new generation of spacecraft, and the improvement of technologies needed for long-duration flights.

More than 900 payloads and hundreds of scientific papers

Since 2011, since CASIS has managed the ISS National Laboratory, more than 900 different payloads have been sent to the station connected with this program. We are talking about thousands of individual studies from the fields of life and physical sciences, technology development, space manufacturing, and STEM education. In microgravity, the growth of protein crystals, the behavior of stem cells, the faster formation of certain alloys and composites, the operation of advanced electronic components, or the resistance of new materials to radiation and extreme temperature differences are studied.

Experiments on the ISS often have very concrete goals. Microgravity, for example, enables the growth of protein crystals of a much more regular structure than in classical laboratories, which is valuable for the development of new drugs. In biomedicine, it is studied how bones and muscles lose mass in conditions of weightlessness, which helps in the treatment of osteoporosis and related diseases on Earth. In the field of materials, alloys and polymers that can withstand extreme conditions are investigated, while in the segment of Earth observation, new sensors for monitoring agricultural crops, pollution, or climate change are tested.

Results are also seen in scientific literature: to date, more than 500 peer-reviewed scientific papers have been published that are directly related to research conducted within the framework of the ISS National Laboratory. Just in the last fiscal years, the number of new papers has reached record values, and a significant part of publications arises from projects funded by other US agencies, especially the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Combined, these institutions have supported more than 85 projects in areas such as tissue engineering, bone regeneration, the development of new disease models, or the study of fluid and material flows without the influence of gravity.

Magnet for private capital and new technologies

The ISS National Laboratory is not only a scientific engine but also a serious magnet for investments. Projects conducted within its framework have attracted more than 80 million US dollars in funding from sources outside NASA – from private foundations and industrial partners to other federal agencies. An even stronger signal about the economic potential of space research comes from the world of startups: companies that have used the station as a test environment have collectively raised almost 2.5 billion dollars in additional investment after the flights.

For investors, this is a clear indicator that experiments in microgravity do not boil down only to "exotic science," but that they bring data and prototypes with real market potential. Examples include the development of advanced biological therapies, improved drug formulations, more precise detectors and sensors, as well as components for telecommunication and navigation systems. Many of these technologies first proved themselves on the ISS, and then found their way to hospitals, industrial plants, or end users.

Today, it is estimated that almost 60 percent of all projects supported by the ISS National Laboratory come from the private sector. Globally recognizable brands and large pharmaceutical, chemical, technological, and consumer companies participate, but also agile startups looking for a niche in which the space environment will be their key competitive advantage. Such a combination of big and small players creates a diverse ecosystem in which very specific niche ideas are tested, but also projects with the potential to change entire industries.

Orbital Edge Accelerator – space accelerator for startups

To additionally encourage entrepreneurship in orbit, the ISS National Laboratory has in recent years relied heavily on cooperation with startup accelerators and innovation programs. Through such initiatives, young companies receive mentoring support, technical assistance in preparing experiments for flight, support in certifying equipment for space use, and access to a network of investors specialized in the space industry.

The latest step in this direction is the launch of the Orbital Edge Accelerator program. It is an accelerator focused on the early stages of space technology development, in which six promising companies have been selected. Each of them can receive an investment of up to 500,000 US dollars, as well as the opportunity to verify their technology in microgravity conditions through the ISS National Laboratory. The program is created in cooperation with investment partners and technological actors who want to accelerate the transition from prototype to market-viable products based on space data or space manufacturing.

The goal of the Orbital Edge Accelerator is not only financial incentive but also building a bridge between space possibilities and "terrestrial" industries. Startups that participate develop solutions in areas such as advanced materials, biotechnology, precision agriculture, climate and environmental analytics, or communication technologies. The ISS National Laboratory acts in this context as a testing ground and reference platform: showing that technology works in one of the most demanding environments in the world is a strong argument in negotiations with future clients and investors.

ISS as a "21st-century laboratory" in space

Since the beginning of the operation of the ISS National Laboratory, the number of commercial research facilities on the station has grown from just a few to more than 25. Today, specialized laboratories for biomedicine, platforms for protein crystallization, systems for additive manufacturing, optical and radar platforms for Earth observation, and a series of other installations managed by commercial service providers operate in orbit. They offer "turnkey" solutions for researchers who may not have their own space engineering teams but want to test their ideas in microgravity.

Such infrastructure makes the ISS a kind of industrial zone of the 21st century – a vertically integrated campus where there are laboratories, production plants, logistical support, and a constantly present crew. Commercial partners develop their own business models: from offering laboratory space and experiment preparation services to data analysis and licensing of technologies created in orbit. The ISS National Laboratory actively supports this development by allocating resources and crew time, thereby helping in the validation of new systems and the expansion of the market in Low Earth Orbit.

Demand for such possibilities is today greater than supply. More than a hundred already selected projects are waiting for their flight slot to the station, which shows how much interest in using the ISS as a research platform has grown. A limited number of cargo flights on available resupply missions and a fixed schedule of crew activities mean that every cubic centimeter of cargo and every minute of astronaut time are planned with great precision. In this context, the decision on which experiments will get a place on the next flight becomes a strategic question of scientific and industrial policy.

Education and creating the future workforce

One of the strongest, yet often less visible effects of the ISS National Laboratory relates to education. Through various programs, competitions, and student projects, the laboratory has to date involved millions of pupils and students around the world. School teams get the opportunity to design small experiments that adapt to conditions on the station – for example, studying plant growth, fluid movement, or bacterial development in microgravity – and track results after their cargo completes a "mini mission" in space.

Such experiences concretely show students that STEM is not an abstract set of formulas, but a tool for solving real problems, from health to climate change. At the same time, a base for the future workforce for the space industry is being created: engineers, programmers, biologists, medics, and data experts who have already come into contact with space projects in high school or college. The ISS National Laboratory positions itself here as a public good – a platform that not only generates new knowledge and technologies but also builds the personnel who will apply them tomorrow.

International cooperation and the future after 2030

All these activities take place within the broader framework of the ISS as an unprecedented international project. NASA, the European ESA, the Russian Roscosmos, the Japanese JAXA, and the Canadian CSA participate in the program, with the contribution of a series of partner countries that send their astronauts and scientific projects. Despite political tensions on Earth, cooperation in orbit has remained largely stable; crews work together daily on maintaining the complex, conducting experiments, and supporting partners from the ground. The ISS has thus become one of the rare long-standing examples of cooperation between great powers in science and technology, and the ISS National Laboratory adds a new dimension to that story – that of an open, multi-user platform for research and innovation.

As the end of the planned operation of the station approaches, increasing emphasis is placed on the development of commercial space stations that will take over the role of the ISS. NASA and partners are already working on the concept of "commercial destinations in low orbit," private orbital complexes where research, manufacturing in microgravity, educational programs, and astronaut stays will continue to be conducted. Experience gained through the ISS National Laboratory – from managing the project portfolio and working with industry to developing commercial services in space – represents key capital for that transition.

In this broader context, the messages accompanying the marking of 25 years of continuous human presence on the station should also be observed. CASIS Executive Director Ray Lugo emphasizes that this is an achievement of all humanity: a quarter of a century of constant life in orbit shows what is possible when the international community decides to cooperate on a scientific project long-term. The ISS National Laboratory is in that story a kind of bridge between space and everyday life – opening doors to research and technologies that directly benefit people on Earth, while simultaneously preparing the stage for the next generation of orbital laboratories and space enterprises that will take over its role after 2030.