Value proposition

Discover the only National Laboratory located in low Earth orbit -- advancing science in space for life on Earth.

In 2005, Congress designated the U.S. portion of the ISS as the nation’s newest national laboratory to maximize its use for improving quality of life on Earth, promoting collaboration among diverse users, and advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This unique laboratory environment is now available for use by non-NASA U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector, providing these customers access to a permanent microgravity setting, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied environments of space. The ISS National Lab is managed by the Center for the Advancement for Science in Space, under agreement with NASA.

Space Research, Technology Development, Payload Integration, STEM Education, Research and Development, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Remote Sensing