Assembly will require 45 space flights over a five-year period using three different types of launch vehicle.

When completed, the station will offer 46,000 cubic feet of space, about the interior volume of a 747 Jumbo jet.

It will measure 361 feet end to end, about the length of the pitch at Croke Park, and provide housing for seven crew.

Power is provided by half an acre of solar cells, used to charge batteries which if lined up would extend half a mile.

The electric power system is connected with eight miles of wire.

The station will cost at least $60 billion when completed, and weigh about 500 tonnes.

The station is controlled by 52 computers.

The station has a 55ft long robot arm with a payload capacity of 125 tonnes.

It offers living quarters and six separate scientific laboratories for research.

It has four windows for conducting Earth observation experiments.