International Space Station (ISS), time-exposure image. The trail of the ISS as it crosses the sky is seen across centre. The ISS orbits at an altitude of around 360 kilometres, and takes about 92 minutes to complete one orbit of Earth. From Earth, the ISS has a visual magnitude around -1, almost as bright as Sirius, the brightest star. This brightness is due to the high reflectivity of the station's extensive solar panel array. The ISS has been permanently manned since November 2000, but the problems with the space shuttle fleet have hindered the progression of its construction. Photographed from California, USA.