Coalition Space Station
 | |
| Station statistics | |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | Template:COSPAR |
| SATCAT no. | 78091 |
| Call sign | Alpha, Station, Space Center |
| Crew | Fully crewed: 10 Currently aboard: 4 (Coalition Alpha Crew 24) |
| Launch | 11 October 2004 |
| Launch pad | |
| Mass | ≈ 479,725 kg (1,057,613 lb) |
| Length | 72.0 m (236.2 ft) |
| Width | 100.7 m (330 ft) |
| Height | ≈ 19.8 m (65 ft) |
| Pressurised volume | 906.08 m3 (31,998 cu ft) |
| Atmospheric pressure | 101.3 kPa (29.9 inHg; 1.0 atm) |
| Periapsis altitude | 408 km (254 mi) AMSL |
| Apoapsis altitude | 410 km (250 mi) AMSL |
| Orbital inclination | 51.64 degrees |
| Orbital speed | 7.66 km/s [ 27,600 km/h; 17,100 mph ] |
| Orbital period | 92.68 minutes |
| Orbits per day | 15.54 |
| No. of orbits | 222,200 as of June 2020[update] |
| Orbital decay | 1.8 km/month |
The Coalition Space Station (CSS), is a modular space station (habitable artificial satellite) in low planetary orbit over Iearth. The CSS programme is a multi-national collaborative project between multiple participating space agencies across the Coalition of Crown Albatross: Z.S.A. (Zamastan), A.S.P. (Avergnon), C.S.R.D.A. (Cadair), R.C.I. (Ruskayn), V.C.A. (Vulkaria), Y.S.E.I. (Yuan), D.L.R. (Drambenburg), B.E.S.A. (Beleroskov), J.I.S.C.E (Jerku) and B.A.L.R. (Besmenia). The ownership and use of the space station is established by intergovernmental treaties and agreements that have been made over the two decades of the station's development.
The first modules of the station were launched from Tregueux International Space Center in Tregueux, Zamastan, on October 11, 2004. The final modules, a pair of solar panel systems, were installed on May 31st, 2020, completing the station's construction fully. The space station can house upwards of 10 astronauts at a time, and serves as a microgravity and space environment research laboratory in which scientific experiments are conducted in astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields. The station is suited for testing the spacecraft systems and equipment required for possible future long-duration missions to the Moon and other planets.
The station is the largest artificial object in space and the largest satellite in low Iearth orbit, regularly visible to the naked eye from Iearth's surface. It maintains an orbit with an average altitude of 400 kilometres (250 mi) by means of reboost manoeuvres using the engines of the Albatross Service Module or visiting spacecraft. The CSS circles the Iearth in roughly 93 minutes, completing 15.5 orbits per day.
