space station

American  

noun

• space stations
  plural

1. an orbiting manned structure that can be used for a variety of purposes, as to assemble or service satellites, refuel spacecraft, etc.

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space station British  

noun

1. Also called: space platform, space laboratory. any large manned artificial satellite designed to orbit the earth during a long period of time thus providing a base for scientific and medical research in space and a construction site, launch pad, and docking arrangements for spacecraft

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space station Cultural  

1. A structure being assembled in space by an international partnership led by NASA. The space station will be a permanent habitat at which scientific and technological work can be carried out. Building a space station is considered the next step in the development and exploration of space, although there is controversy concerning its cost and the value of the research that will be carried out there.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• space-station
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• space stations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of space station

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

space station

The SpaceX Crew-12 mission launched on Feb. 13, and the crew docked with the space station a day later.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Despite many international cooperation agreements falling apart after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, the United States and other ISS partners have continued working with Russia on the space station.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

"I would have expected these microbes to have dried out," said Regberg, who studies space station bacteria and was a co-author on the paper.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

Its success, which came through trial and failure, has ended U.S. reliance on Russia to transport astronauts to the space station and launch American satellites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Svetlana again traveled to the space station Salyut 7.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson