The International Space Station (ISS) travels at about 17,500 miles per hour (around 28,000 kilometers per hour) as it orbits Earth. At this speed, it circles the planet roughly once every 90 minutes , giving astronauts about 16 sunrises and sunsets every day.

Quick Scoop: ISS Speed

  • Typical speed: about 17,500 mph / 28,000 km/h.
  • Orbits Earth in ~90–92 minutes per lap.
  • That’s roughly 5 miles (8 km) every second.
  • Astronauts see ~16 sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours.
  • It flies much faster than Earth’s rotation (about 1,000 mph at the equator).

If you imagine a trip from New York to Los Angeles, the ISS could cover that distance in about ten minutes at its orbital speed—far beyond anything a passenger jet can do.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.