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On Nov. 2, 2020, the International Space Station celebrated its 20th anniversary of continuous human occupation. With astronauts and cosmonauts from around the world working together, the ISS has demonstrated humankind's ability to not only live and work in space but cooperate with one another. This remarkable achievement is significant as countries and companies around the world look to expand space exploration beyond Earth orbit.

The path to this anniversary was not easy; like most things done in space, the cost and the difficulty were high. Supported by the Reagan administration as part of the Cold War competition with the Soviet Union, the . Following the Challenger disaster in 1986, planning fell by the wayside as costs increased. Facing delays and cost overruns, the space station—then known as Freedom—was in the early 1990s. While already bringing international partners aboard to lower costs, to participate, leveraging the station as a tool of foreign policy between former adversaries.

What began as competition has turned into fruitful cooperation not just between Russia and the United States but Canada, Japan, Italy, the European Space Agency and . As a space policy expert, I argue that the achievements of the ISS to date are indeed significant, but they also point the way ahead for cooperation and commercialization in space.

Accomplishments and significance

, the International Space Station is indeed impressive. At 357 feet in length, it is just one yard shy of an American football field. More than 241 individuals from 19 countries have visited, and at least 3,000 research projects have taken place on the ISS. The ISS is in the night sky and can often be spotted worldwide. Even the station with its own building set.

The ISS has proven that humans can live and work in space. These experiences are key as countries look to longer term exploration. The in understanding how the human body reacts to sustained microgravity and increased exposure to radiation. have allowed researchers to study materials and chemicals in a microgravity environment. Astronauts have also learned how to grow food on the station, leading to .

These accomplishments have not come without criticism. It cost more than US$100 billion to construct; the amount and value of the science that has been conducted. More recently, limits on the the number of crew residing on the station for scientific experiments.

However, perhaps one of the most significant legacies of the ISS is the long-term cooperation that has enabled it. While the U.S. and Russia are the countries most closely identified with the program, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency also take part. , sustained cooperation in a place where operations are difficult and costly is impressive.

For the U.S. and Russia in particular, this achievement is unique. While there was during the Cold War, the ISS is the first major space program in which the two have worked together. Even as relations between Russia and the U.S. have deteriorated over the past several years, the partnership on the ISS has continued. While scientific and space cooperation does not solve all terrestrial issues, .

The future of the ISS

Though turning 20 may not seem like a milestone, for a complicated piece of machinery operating in the dangerous environment of space, the ISS is approaching old age. In recent years, it has suffered several problems, most recently , Zvezda. However, recent assessments of the ISS for at least another 10 years.

In that time, the ISS will likely see an increase in commercial activity. Recently, cosmetics company one of its products to the station to be featured in a commercial filmed there. the ISS a tourist destination following making it easier for space tourists to visit. Another space company, a contract to build a commercial module to be added to the ISS in 2024. The module to astronauts aboard the station as well as serve as the starting point for a future commercial space station.

Thinking beyond Earth orbit, international cooperation in the ISS provides a solid example for future cooperation in space. As NASA seeks to return to the Moon, international cooperation will be a way of reducing costs, normalizing behavior in space and increasing national prestige. NASA has made efforts in these areas through the , an agreement outlining norms and behaviors for lunar exploration. Additionally, NASA and others on its plans for the Gateway, a mini-space station in lunar orbit. The ISS experience has been fundamental to all of these developments as it continues to launch the next generation of space endeavors.

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