The International Space Station (ISS) is a joint project in which sixteen countries are currently involved. The ISS is a symbol of what people can achieve by working together. Boundaries that seem so important on Earth take a back seat on the space station; what matters is a perfectly coordinated collaboration between the astronauts.

Mission ISS begins in 1998 when the first module of the ISS was built. From your control center, you give instructions to the astronauts in space. At first only a few crew members are on the station, but over time you bring more astronauts to the station to add new modules, carry out various research assignments, or just drift in weightlessness. As on the real space station, the co-operation between the players and the co-ordination of the astronauts determine the success of the ISS mission. Only together will you be able to master the challenge of space.

In more detail, the mechanism at the heart of the game requires deep co-operative play. To give instructions to astronauts, you combine two command cards: one of yours and one of your teammates. After you have performed the command effects, you place both cards on your own discard pile, which means that your turns always have an impact on the options of the other players. When you run out of cards, you take all cards from your discard pile to re-fill your display — but doing so brings the end of the game closer.

Up to six astronauts can be on the ISS. Each astronaut stands on a base with adjustable values for three types of abilities: drift to move, carry out researches, and add new modules. Train the astronauts to improve their abilities so that they can manage all of the challenges on the ISS.