This is a chronological list of commanders of the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...
. A pre-decided inhabitant of the ISS assumes command upon departure of the previous commander, at the end of an expedition, in a small hand-over ceremony. Their responsibility is defined by the ISS Code of Conduct, which states that the ISS commander has some authority over the operations of the ISS, but should ultimately defer most decisions to the Flight Director.
The commander keeps a symbolic key of the station with them during their tenure, that is, a copy of the handle opening the hatches to the Russian segment. It is passed on to a new astronaut when they replace the existing commander as the new station commander.
Continued international collaboration on ISS missions has been thrown into doubt by the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...
and related sanctions on Russia.
Responsibilities
* Conduct operations in or on the ISS as directed by the Flight Director and in accordance with the Flight Rules, plans and procedures
* Direct the activities of the ISS crewmembers as a single, integrated team to ensure the successful completion of the mission
* Fully and accurately inform the Flight Director, in a timely manner, of the ISS vehicle configuration, status, commanding, and other operational activities on-board (including off-nominal or emergency situations)
* Enforce procedures for the physical and information security of operations and utilization data
* Maintain order
* Ensure crew safety, health and well-being including crew rescue and return
* Take all reasonable action necessary for the protection of the ISS elements, equipment, or payloads
List
Statistics
A Russian national has commanded the station 30 times.
A US national has commanded the station 28 times including the current one.
[Including dual-national Michael Foale]
A Japanese and Italian nationals have commanded the station 2 times.
Belgian, British,
Canadian, German and French nationals have commanded the station once each.
Gennady Padalka has commanded the station on 4 separate occasions, more than any other inhabitant.
Fyodor Yurchikhin has commanded the station thrice. Scott Kelly, Oleg Kononenko, Oleg Kotov, Anton Shkaplerov, Pavel Vinogradov, Peggy Whitson and Jeffrey Williams have commanded the station twice each.
See also
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List of International Space Station expeditions
This is a chronological list of expeditions to the International Space Station (ISS). An expedition to the ISS refers to the crew that is occupying the space station and using it for research and testing. Expeditions can last up to six months an ...
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List of Soyuz missions
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Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station
Uncrewed spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS) are made primarily to deliver cargo, however several Russian modules have also docked to the outpost following uncrewed launches. Resupply missions typically use the Russian Progress s ...
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List of Mir expeditions
References
Footnotes
{{ISS expeditions
International Space Station commanders
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