Two Modules Become a Space Station

The International Space Station required participating countries to coordinate engineering, funding, and operations. Because its initial elements would not be assembled in a factory on Earth, the project faced the critical test of whether separately constructed spacecraft could be brought together directly in orbit.

On November 20, 1998, a Proton rocket launched the Zarya module from Baikonur. Built in Russia under a U.S.-funded contract, Zarya provided early power and control functions. While a single module could not function as an international laboratory, it established the physical starting point for the orbital complex.