Question
Space station on orbit of Earth planet. Blue planet and ISS in deep space. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

How long does it take the International Space Station to circle Earth?

Last updated: January 20, 2026

Astronauts on the International Space Station don't get anything close to a normal day. The sun rises, sets, and rises again while most of us are still on our first cup of coffee. How long does it take the ISS to complete one full orbit around Earth?

Correct Answer: 90 minutes

(Source)

The $150 billion lab is roughly the size of a football field, and astronauts have been living up there continuously since 2000. It cruises at about 17,500 miles per hour (I don't know if you can call that a cruising speed) and takes about 90 minutes to circle the Earth. At that speed, a flight from New York to Los Angeles would land before you finished your first bag of peanuts.

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