About Infoplease, Part of FEN Learning. Footer last column. RSS; Contact; Advertise with Infoplease; Terms of Use* Privacy** Site Map; Partnerships; Disclaimer *
Most of the time, the International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of approximately 220 miles (354 km), which places it in low Earth orbit (LEO). This distance can change, however, and has varied from 205 miles (330 km) to a planned maximum of 248 miles (400 km).
It's true - the ISS moves at about 17,000 mph (~28,000 kph). 1. When it's not using its onboard engines to adjust its orbit, the station is in free-fall*. This means that gravitational interaction with the earth maintains the station's orbit, and thus its speed. In contrast, an aircraft is not in orbit; rather, it must actively expend energy to maneuver through the air.