space station

American  

noun

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

• space-station adjective

Etymology

Origin of space station

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Mr. Sorrentino, who also wrote the screenplay, finds a wonderful image to express what the president is going through when he sees a video feed showing an Italian astronaut living in a zero-gravity space station.

From The Wall Street Journal

Vast, a Long Beach company building a space station, started in 2021 with just a few dozen employees.

From Los Angeles Times

China conducted an urgent unmanned spacecraft launch on Tuesday, after damage to a previous mission's return capsule left the crew on its space station without a means of getting back to Earth.

From Barron's

With NASA's International Space Station set to come out of service in 2030, American aerospace firm Vast has stepped into a frenzied race for the world's first commercial space station.

From Barron's

Water needed to cool a space data center would be about the same amount used by a space station, relying on exhaust radiators and re-using a relatively small amount of liquid.

From Barron's