ISS hosts eight different spacecraft at once for first time
Diagram showing all the spacecraft currently docked at the ISS
- Published
For the first time in International Space Station (ISS) history, all of its eight docking ports are in use at the same time.
They include spacecrafts from Russia, Japan, and the US.
In fact, the space station is so full that controllers had to temporarily move a robotic spacecraft to make room for an astronaut taxi last week.
Construction of the ISS began in 1998, but it didn't have as many ports for spacecrafts to dock at in the beginning.
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What are the eight spacecraft currently at the ISS?
Cygnus 23
Northrop Grumman's Cygnus-23 cargo spacecraft was launched on a SpaceX rocket on 14 September 2025 and docked at the space station four days later.
It delivered up to 5,000 kg worth of supplies for the Expedition 73 crew, including scientific experiments and equipment.
The plan is that it will remain attached to the orbiting laboratory until at least March 2026, when it is scheduled leave and dispose of up to almost 5,000 kg of trash and unneeded cargo on the way back to Earth.
HTV-X1
This cargo craft from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched on 26 October to resupply the ISS, successfully docking on 30 October.
It delivered around 4,500 kg of cargo including fresh food, oxygen and water - it could stay at the ISS for up to six months.
The ISS has eight different docking ports - but this is the first time they've all been in use at the same time
Roscosmos Soyuz MS-27 and MS-28
Sent by the Russian space agency Roscosmos,Soyuz MS-27 is scheduled to depart the ISS with Nasa's Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky on 8 December, before returning to Earth.
MS-28 is a new arrival having arrived on 28 November for an expected eight-month mission. On board were Nasa astronaut Chris Williams and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Progress-92 and Progress-93 robotic cargo spacecraft
These robotic cargo spacecraft are also Russian owned, and arrived in July and September to resupply the ISS with critical supplies.
Crew 11 Dragon and CRS-33 Cargo Dragon
Four crew members launched to the ISS as part of Nasa's SpaceX Crew-11 mission to perform research, technology demonstrations and maintenance activities in August and are due to return in 2026.
Meanwhile SpaceX's CRS-33 arrived as part of a resupply services mission, delivering science, supplies, and hardware.
