Editing Space station (section)

== History ==
{{See also|List of space stations}}

=== Early concepts ===
The first mention of anything resembling a space station occurred in [[Edward Everett Hale]]'s 1868 "[[The Brick Moon]]".<ref name="Wired">{{cite news |last=Mann |first=Adam |title=Strange Forgotten Space Station Concepts That Never Flew |url=https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/01/space-station-concepts/ |access-date=January 22, 2018 |newspaper=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=January 25, 2012}}</ref> The first to give serious, scientifically grounded consideration to space stations were [[Konstantin Tsiolkovsky]] and [[Hermann Oberth]] about two decades apart in the early 20th century.<ref name="boys">{{Cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2YEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20|title=The First Space Station|page=20|newspaper=[[Boys' Life]]|date=September 1989}}</ref>

[[File:Noordung space station.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|First description of a [[Rotating wheel space station|rotating space station]], in [[Hermann Noordung]]'s ''The Problem of Space Travel'' (1929).<br>(Legend: ''Achs-Körper'': [[axle]] body. ''Aufzugschacht'': [[elevator]] shaft. ''K'': electric cable to an external observatory. ''Kondensatorrohre'': condenser pipes. ''S'': [[airlock]]. ''Treppenschacht'': [[stairwell]]. ''Verdampfungsrohr'': boiler pipe).]]
In 1929, [[Herman Potočnik]]'s ''The Problem of Space Travel'' was published, the first to envision a "rotating wheel" space station to create [[artificial gravity]].<ref name="Wired" /> Conceptualized during the [[Second World War]], the "[[sun gun]]" was a theoretical [[orbital weapon]] orbiting Earth at a height of {{convert|8200|km}}. No further research was ever conducted.<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine  | date = July 9, 1945  | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,852344-1,00.html  | title = Science: Sun Gun  | magazine = Time  | access-date = September 13, 2011  | archive-date = May 21, 2013  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130521131705/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,852344-1,00.html  | url-status = dead  }}</ref> In 1951, [[Wernher von Braun]] published a concept for a [[rotating wheel space station]] in ''[[Collier's Weekly]]'', referencing Potočnik's idea. However, development of a rotating station was never begun in the 20th century.<ref name="boys" />

=== First advances and precursors ===
{{Further|Space rendezvous#First docking}}
The first human flew to space and concluded the first orbit on April 12, 1961, with [[Vostok 1]].

The [[Apollo program]] had in [[Apollo spacecraft feasibility study|its early planning]] instead of a [[lunar landing]] a crewed [[lunar orbit]]al flight and an orbital laboratory station in orbit of Earth, at times called ''[[Project Olympus]]'', as two different possible program goals, until the [[Kennedy administration]] sped ahead and made the Apollo program focus on what was originally planned to come after it, the lunar landing. The Project Olympus space station, or orbiting laboratory of the Apollo program, was proposed as an in-space unfolded structure with the [[Apollo command and service module]] docking.<ref name="Nast 2013 t554">{{cite magazine | title=Project Olympus (1962) | magazine=WIRED | date=2013-09-02 | url=https://www.wired.com/2013/09/project-olympus-1962/ | access-date=2023-10-12}}</ref> While never realized, the Apollo command and service module would perform [[Docking and berthing of spacecraft|docking maneuvers]] and eventually become a lunar orbiting module which was used for station-like purposes.

But before that the [[Gemini program]] paved the way and achieved the first [[space rendezvous]] (undocked) with [[Gemini 6]] and [[Gemini 7]] in 1965. Subsequently in 1966 [[Neil Armstrong]] performed on [[Gemini 8]] the first ever space docking, while in 1967 [[Kosmos 186 and Kosmos 188]] were the first spacecrafts that docked automatically.

[[File:Gemini8Docking.gif|thumb|Gemini 8 docking with Agena vehicle]]

In January 1969, [[Soyuz 4]] and [[Soyuz 5]] performed the first docked, but not internal, crew transfer, and in March, [[Apollo 9]] performed the first ever internal transfer of astronauts between two docked spaceships.

=== Salyut, Almaz and Skylab ===
{{main|Salyut|Almaz|Skylab}}
[[File:Skylab 3 flyaround.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Skylab]] (1973–1974), the first U.S. space station and second overall]]
In 1971, the [[Soviet Union]] developed and launched the world's first space station, [[Salyut 1]].<ref name="Salyut">{{Cite book|title=Salyut – The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/304494949 |first=Grujica S. |last=Ivanovich |year=2008 |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |isbn=978-0-387-73973-1 |oclc=304494949}}</ref> The [[Almaz]] and [[Salyut Program|Salyut series]] were eventually joined by [[Skylab]], ''[[Mir]]'', and [[Tiangong-1]] and [[Tiangong-2]]. The hardware developed during the initial Soviet efforts remains in use, with evolved variants comprising a considerable part of the ISS, orbiting today. Each crew member stays aboard the station for weeks or months but rarely more than a year.

Early stations were monolithic designs that were constructed and launched in one piece, generally containing all their supplies and experimental equipment. A crew would then be launched to join the station and perform research. After the supplies had been consumed, the station was abandoned.<ref name="Salyut"/>

The first space station was [[Salyut 1]], which was launched by the [[Soviet Union]] on April 19, 1971. The early Soviet stations were all designated "Salyut", but among these, there were two distinct types: civilian and military. The military stations, [[Salyut 2]], [[Salyut 3]], and [[Salyut 5]], were also known as [[Almaz]] stations.<ref name="Outposts">{{Cite book |title=Outposts on the Frontier: A Fifty-Year History of Space Stations |first=Jay |last=Chladek |year=2017 |publisher=[[University of Nebraska Press]] |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/990337324 |isbn=978-0-8032-2292-2 |others=Clayton C. Anderson |oclc=990337324}}</ref>

The civilian stations [[Salyut 6]] and [[Salyut 7]] were built with two docking ports, which allowed a second crew to visit, bringing a new spacecraft with them; the [[Soyuz 7K-T|Soyuz ferry]] could spend 90 days in space, at which point it needed to be replaced by a fresh Soyuz spacecraft.<ref name="MHH">{{cite web |author=Portree |first=D. S. F. |year=1995 |title=Mir Hardware Heritage |url=http://ston.jsc.nasa.gov/collections/TRS/_techrep/RP1357.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907191412/http://ston.jsc.nasa.gov/collections/TRS/_techrep/RP1357.pdf |archive-date=7 September 2009 |access-date=30 November 2010 |publisher=NASA}}</ref> This allowed for a crew to man the station continually. The American [[Skylab]] (1973–1979) was also equipped with two docking ports, like second-generation stations, but the extra port was never used. The presence of a second port on the new stations allowed [[Progress spacecraft|Progress]] supply vehicles to be docked to the station, meaning that fresh supplies could be brought to aid long-duration missions. This concept was expanded on Salyut 7, which "hard docked" with a [[TKS spacecraft|TKS tug]] shortly before it was abandoned; this served as a proof of concept for the use of modular space stations. The later Salyuts may reasonably be seen as a transition between the two groups.<ref name="Outposts"/>

=== ''Mir'' ===
{{main|Mir}}
[[File:Mir Space Station viewed from Endeavour during STS-89.jpg|left|thumb|''[[Mir]]'' station seen in 1998]]
Unlike previous stations, the Soviet space station ''[[Mir]]'' had a [[modular design]]; a core unit was launched, and additional modules, generally with a specific role, were later added. This method allows for greater flexibility in operation, as well as removing the need for a single immensely powerful [[launch vehicle]]. Modular stations are also designed from the outset to have their supplies provided by logistical support craft, which allows for a longer lifetime at the cost of requiring regular support launches.<ref>{{cite book |title=The History of Mir 1986–2000 |year=2000 |publisher=[[British Interplanetary Society]] |isbn=978-0-9506597-4-9 |editor=Hall, R. |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmir19860000unse}}</ref>

===International Space Station===
{{main|International Space Station}}
[[File:The station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon 5 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|View of the [[International Space Station]] in 2021]]
The ISS is divided into two main sections, the [[Russian Orbital Segment]] (ROS) and the [[US Orbital Segment]] (USOS). The first module of the ISS, [[Zarya (ISS module)|Zarya]], was launched in 1998.<ref name="CASIS">{{Cite web|title=History and Timeline of the ISS|website=[[Center for the Advancement of Science in Space]]|url=https://www.iss-casis.org/about/iss-timeline/|access-date=8 February 2018|archive-date=25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225195017/https://www.iss-casis.org/about/iss-timeline/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Russian Orbital Segment's "second-generation" modules were able to launch on [[Proton (rocket)|Proton]], fly to the correct orbit, and dock themselves without human intervention.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usu.edu/mae/aerospace/publications/JDSC_RoadToAutonomy.pdf |title=Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering |publisher=Usu.edu |access-date=2012-08-13 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Connections are automatically made for power, data, gases, and propellants. The Russian autonomous approach allows the assembly of space stations prior to the launch of crew.

The Russian "second-generation" modules are able to be reconfigured to suit changing needs. As of 2009, [[RKK Energia]] was considering the removal and reuse of some modules of the ROS on the [[Orbital Piloted Assembly and Experiment Complex]] after the end of mission is reached for the ISS.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8064060.stm |title=Russia 'to save its ISS modules' |work=BBC News |date=22 May 2009 |access-date=23 May 2009 |first=Anatoly |last=Zak}}</ref> However, in September 2017, the head of Roscosmos said that the technical feasibility of separating the station to form OPSEK had been studied, and there were now no plans to separate the Russian segment from the ISS.<ref>{{cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=http://spacenews.com/international-partners-in-no-rush-regarding-future-of-iss/ |title=International partners in no rush regarding future of ISS |website=[[SpaceNews]] |date=25 September 2017 |access-date=26 October 2017 }}</ref>

In contrast, the main US modules launched on the [[Space Shuttle]] and were attached to the ISS by crews during [[Extra-vehicular activity|EVAs]]. Connections for electrical power, data, propulsion, and cooling fluids are also made at this time, resulting in an integrated block of modules that is not designed for disassembly and must be deorbited as one mass.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.nap.edu/read/9794/chapter/8|isbn=978-0-309-06938-0|publisher=National Academies Press|year=2000|pages=28–30|first=Thomas|last=Kelly|title=Engineering Challenges to the Long-Term Operation of the International Space Station|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

[[Axiom Station]] is a planned commercial space station that will begin as a single module docked to the ISS. [[Axiom Space]] gained NASA approval for the venture in January 2020. The first module, the Payload Power Transfer Module (PPTM), is expected to be launched to the ISS no earlier than 2027.<ref name="sn-20241218">{{cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |url=https://spacenews.com/axiom-space-revises-space-station-assembly-plans/ |title=Axiom Space revises space station assembly plans |work=[[SpaceNews]] |date=18 December 2024 |access-date=18 December 2024}}</ref> PPTM will remain at the ISS until the launch of Axiom's Habitat One (Hab-1) module about one year later, after which it will detach from the ISS to join with Hab-1.<ref name="sn-20241218" />

===''Tiangong'' program===
{{main|Tiangong space station|Tiangong program}}
[[File:Chinese Tiangong Space Station.jpg|thumb|alt=Rendering of the completed Tiangong Space Station in November 2022|Rendering of the completed Tiangong Space Station in November 2022|left]]

China's first space laboratory, [[Tiangong-1]] was launched in September 2011.<ref name="NASAspaceflight">{{cite web |last=Barbosa |first=Rui |date=29 September 2011 |title=China launches TianGong-1 to mark next human space flight milestone |url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/09/china-major-human-space-flight-milestone-tiangong-1s-launch/ |publisher=NASASpaceflight.com}}</ref> The uncrewed [[Shenzhou 8]] then successfully performed an automatic rendezvous and docking in November 2011. The crewed [[Shenzhou 9]] then docked with Tiangong-1 in June 2012, followed by the crewed [[Shenzhou 10]] in 2013.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}}

According to the [[China Manned Space Engineering Office]], Tiangong-1 [[#Re-entry|reentered]] over the South [[Pacific Ocean]], northwest of [[Tahiti]], on 2 April 2018 at 00:15 UTC.<ref name="BBC-20180401">{{cite news |author=Staff |date=1 April 2018 |title=Tiangong-1: Defunct China space lab comes down over South Pacific |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43614408 |access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20180401">{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |date=1 April 2018 |title=China's Tiangong-1 Space Station Has Fallen Back to Earth Over the Pacific |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/01/science/chinese-space-station-crash-tiangong.html |access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref>

A second space laboratory [[Tiangong-2]] was launched in September 2016, while a plan for [[Tiangong-3]] was merged with Tiangong-2.<ref name="tiangong">{{Cite news |last=Dickinson |first=David |date=10 November 2017 |title=China's Tiangong 1 Space Station to Burn Up |url=http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/chinas-tiangong-1-set-to-reenter-in-the-coming-months/ |access-date=8 February 2018 |website=[[Sky & Telescope]]}}</ref> The station made a controlled reentry on 19 July 2019 and burned up over the South Pacific Ocean.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Liptak |first=Andrew |date=20 July 2019 |title=China has deorbited its experimental space station |newspaper=[[The Verge]] |url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/20/20701831/china-tiangong-2-deorbited-experimental-space-station |access-date=21 July 2019}}</ref>

The [[Tiangong Space Station|''Tiangong'' Space Station]] ({{lang-zh|s=天宫|p=Tiāngōng|l=Heavenly Palace}}), the first module of which was launched on 29 April 2021,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-56924370|title = China launches first module of new space station|work = BBC News|date = 29 April 2021}}</ref> is in low Earth orbit, 340 to 450 kilometres above the Earth at an orbital inclination of 42° to 43°. The core module was extended in 2022 with two laboratory modules, bringing the total station capacity to six crew members. The station was completed on 5 November 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wall |first=Mike |date=7 January 2021 |title=China plans to launch core module of space station this year |url=https://www.space.com/china-space-station-core-module-launch-spring-2021 |access-date=2021-05-04 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Clark|first=Stephen|title=China to begin construction of space station this year – Spaceflight Now|url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/01/10/china-to-begin-construction-of-space-station-this-year/|access-date=2021-05-04|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dobrijevic |first=Daisy |last2=updated |first2=Andrew Jones last |date=2021-08-24 |title=China's space station, Tiangong: A complete guide |url=https://www.space.com/tiangong-space-station |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== Planned projects ===
{{excerpt|List of space stations|Planned and proposed}}