The Space Station Adjusts Its Orbit To Receive A Russian Spacecraft

A statement issued by the Foundation said: “The orbit of the International Space Station was modified to create suitable conditions for receiving the Russian manned (Soyuz MS-28) vehicle, and for the Russian (Soyuz MS-27) vehicle to separate from the station and return to Earth. The station’s orbit was raised by 2.7 km, and the average height of the station’s orbit is 419.75 km above the Earth’s surface.”

The statement added: “The process of adjusting the orbit took place using the jet engines of the Russian Progress MS-32 spacecraft docked with the station. The vehicle’s engines began operating on Wednesday, at exactly 16:04 pm Moscow time, and continued to operate for 847.47 seconds, generating a force that propelled the station at a rate of 1.55 m/s.”

The Roscosmos Corporation had previously indicated that it plans to launch the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft with two Russian astronauts and an American astronaut to the station at the end of this November.

There are currently Russian astronauts on board the International Space Station: Alexei Zubritsky, Sergei Ryzhikov, and Oleg Platonov. NASA astronauts: Johnny Kim, Zena Cardman, Michael Fink, and Japanese astronaut Yui Kimiya.

Source: TASS