Steps of ISS assembly

July 12, 2001, US Space Shuttle Atlantis was launched on mission STS-104 (ISS deployment program flight number 7A), and on July 14 it docked with ISS. The crew includes NASA astronauts Steven Lindsey (mission commander), Charles Hobaugh (pilot), Michael Gernhardt, Janet Kavandi and James Reilly (mission specialists). The objective of the mission is to deliver, install and activate on-board the space station a multi-purpose Quest airlock intended to support space walks conducted both in US and Russian spacesuits. Besides, Atlantis delivered to the space station consumables, water supplies and scientific equipment. During their flight in docked configuration, the US astronauts have performed three EVAs, during which, using the new space station remotely controlled robotic arm Canadarm2 the Quest airlock was taken out of the Atlantis payload bay, transferred and berthed to a port on the US Node-1 Unity module; on the outer surface of the airlock high-pressure oxygen and nitrogen tanks, EVA foot platforms and handrails were installed. Their third EVA was performed from the new airlock. Shuttle thrusters performed an ISS orbital reboost. On July 22 Atlantis undocked, and it landed on July 25.

August 11, 2001 saw the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-105 (ISS deployment program mission number 7A.1), which docked with ISS on August 12. Discovery carried on-board a crew of US astronauts Scott Horovitz (commander), Frederic Stercow (pilot), Patrick Forrester and Daniel Barry (mission specialists), as well as the third expedition crew (ISS-3) consisting of US astronaut Frank Culbertson and Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Turin.
The flight mission was to deliver to ISS the ISS-3 crew and bring back to Earth the second expedition crew ISS-3 consisting of Yuri Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms who had worked on board the space station since March 10, 2001. In addition to this, Discovery delivered to the space station individual seat liners for ISS-3 crew, equipment for outfitting US segment, including additional racks for scientific research, that were stowed in Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo built in Italy which made its second trip to ISS inside the payload bay of the Shuttle, as well as consumables, supplies of water, air and food.
In the course of the joint flight US astronauts performed two EVAs. On August 20 Discovery undocked and on August 22 successfully landed on Earth. Besides Leonardo module loaded with trash collected from the space station, such as bags with dirty clothes, failed hardware, unneeded packing, etc., returned on Earth for reuse were two sets of Kurs docking equipment dismantled from logistics vehicle Progress M1-6 and manned spacecraft Soyuz TM-32, as well as other cargoes.

August 21, 2001 saw the launch from Baikonur of logistics vehicle Progress M-45, which docked with the axial port of the Russian Service Module Zvezda on August 23.
The logistics vehicle delivered ti ISS about 2.5 tons of cargo, including more than 890 kg of propellant for refueling the combined propulsion system of Zvezda Service Module, which is used to control ISS attitude, as well as 210 kg of water and 1420 kg of dry cargoes, which include Japanese and French hardware and equipment for space experiments, onboard documentation packages, video and photographic equipment. Third expedition crew (ISS-3) received equipment for systems of thermal control, medical control, sanitary and hygienic support and water supply, food rations, including fresh provisions. An orbital complex was established which consists of Russian spacecraft Progress M-45, Soyuz TM-32, Russian Service Module Zvezda - Functional and Cargo Module Zarya - US modules Unity and Destiny. The complex mass is about 134.1 tons. On November 23, 2001 upon completion of the flight program Progress M-45 was splashed down in the assigned region of the world oceanic area.

September 15, 2001, launch vehicle Soyuz-U launched into low Earth orbit a specialized logistics vehicle/module Progress M-CO1, which docked with ISS on September 17.
The objective of the launch is to deliver to the Russian segment of ISS the docking compartment module Pirs. The docking compartment is designed to be used as an additional docking port for manned and logistics vehicles of "Soyuz" and "Progress" type and to support EVAs of cosmonauts and astronauts from the Russian segment of the space station. The logistics vehicle/module delivered to the space station more than 870 kg of propellant and about 800 kg of various cargoes, which include standard equipment of the Pirs docking compartment (cargo boom, external workstation, portable multi-purpose container); research and applications equipment, including equipment for implementation of research program under Andromeda project during the second Russian visiting mission to ISS; EVA equipment, including Orlan-M spacesuit; equipment for life support system; a set of maintenance and repair tools; on-board documentation. An orbital complex was established which consists of Russian spacecraft Progress M-45, Soyuz TM-32, Progress M-CO1, Russian Service Module Zvezda - Functional and Cargo Module Zarya - US modules Unity and Destiny. The complex mass is about 140.5 tons. On September 27, 2001 upon completion of the flight program Progress M-CO1 was splashed down in the assigned region of the world oceanic area.

On October 21, 2001, the Russian transport manned spacecraft Soyuz TM-33 was launched by the Soyuz-Y launch vehicle from the Baikonur cosmodrome (the ISS assembly program, mission 3S); the spacecraft docked to the station on October 23. The second Russian visiting crew (VC-2) included Russian cosmonauts Victor Afanasiev (Commander), Konstantin Kozeev (Flight Engineer-2) and representative of European Space Agency - French astronaut Claudie Haignere (Flight Engineer-1). The mission purpose was to conduct the scheduled replacement of the Soyuz TM-32 rescue vehicle that was a part of the ISS since April 30, 2001, as well as to implement work under the visiting program including space experiments and studies under French Andromeda program and to solve the tasks of the ISS-3 crew mission technical support. On October 31, 2001, the Soyuz TM-32 spacecraft descent vehicle returned to the Earth.