International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) is an internationally developed research facility currently being assembled in Low Earth Orbit. Construction began in 1998 and is scheduled for completion by 2011. The space station is visible from earth, and is currently the world's largest Satellite. It is internationally owned by all countries involved, except for the Russian Orbital Segment, which is owned by the Russians, respectivly.

Modern Warfare 2
The ISS appears briefly in the mission Second Sun, in the perspective of an unknown astronaut. In the mission, Houston Command communicates with the ISS to track the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launched by Captain Price. While tracking the missile expecting it to hit Washington, the missile blows up in mid orbit. The shockwaves following the explosion go into space, and rip the ISS and Sat1 apart.

Trivia
thumb|500px|right|Destruction of the ISS
 * The part where you control Sat1 was supposed to be in a separate level/interactive cutscene called "International Space Station", similar to The Coup and Aftermath. It was merged with this level in the final version of the game for unknown reasons, probably to keep the storyline at this part flowing.
 * If you (Sat1) don't look to the right as told, ISS Control will say "Sat1, rotate your view a little to the right, will ya?" In order for the cutscene to move forward, the player must move the left stick to the right when asked in order to get a glance of the missile.
 * The in-game appearance of ISS is modeled after the configuration the station from 2002-2005. The current configuration (as of November 2009) is different, in that the Station is slightly larger, with the second node and the European and Japanese labs installed and the P6 Solar Arrays have been relocated from the top of the Z1 truss as seen in-game to the port side of ISS, with another set of solar arrays on the starboard side. The 2009 configuration is actually close to how the station will look when completed in 2011. This was probably because the station isn't finished yet, and it would require less scripting using the older configeration yet.
 * The station would actually be functional by the time the game is set, as the ISS is scheduled for completion by 2011.
 * While the concept of a low-orbit nuke detonating and causing a wide-spread EMP is feasible, no shockwave would ever reach the ISS because it is at 341 km altitude, much higher than the the Kármán line, which only stands at 100km. The station would eventually be damaged by the electromagnetic pulse, and the heat from the nuke can damage the ISS, or even ignite the oxygen on board, which could explain the flames as the ISS is ripped apart.
 * The ISS is set for deorbit by 2016, ironically the same time the game is set. Maybe Price cast a thought for NASA when he launched the nuke aswell, with all the time saving of not having to bring it down themselves.