Component of the International Space Station. Zarya, the first component of the International Space Station, launched flawlessly at 1:40 a.m. (EST) on Nov 20, 1998, from Kazakhstan. Atop a Russian Proton rocket, the Zarya Module was lifted into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA. 20 Nov 1998 (NASA Media Archives). Buy this as a superb wall poster, a canvas print or a framed print.