Celebrating New Year’s Eve is unique for the crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Traveling at a staggering speed of 17,500 miles per hour, the station completes an orbit around Earth every 90 minutes.
This means the astronauts onboard will technically experience the transition into 2026 sixteen times in a single day, witnessing 16 sunrises and sunsets.
As the clock strikes midnight across different time zones on Earth below—from the Pacific Islands to the Americas—the ISS crew flies overhead.
Unlike the 12-hour day/night cycle on Earth, they experience rapid shifts of 45 minutes of daylight followed by 45 minutes of darkness. It offers a spectacular, repetitive view of the world celebrating.
However, the astronauts won’t be popping champagne 16 times.
To maintain order and health, operations on the ISS run strictly on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
The diverse crew, including members from NASA, JAXA, and Roscosmos, will ring in the New Year officially just once, sticking to their scientific schedule despite the orbital light show outside their windows.
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