Russia’s Mission Control will raise on Sunday the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) by 20 km (12.4 miles) using Europe’s ATV-2 Johannes Kepler to 365 km (226.8 miles), a spokesman for the Mission Control said on Sunday.
“Two adjustments of the ISS orbit are planned for Sunday. The thrusters of the spacecraft docked with Zvezda module are scheduled for June 12 at 18.10 Moscow time [14.10 GMT] and 22.15 Moscow time [18.15 GMT],” he said.
European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-2), which docked with the ISS on February 24, is scheduled to conduct another similar operation before undocking from the station on June 21. The adjustments is tentatively scheduled for June 15.
Corrections to the space station’s orbit are conducted periodically before launches of Russian cargo ships and U.S. shuttles to compensate for Earth’s gravity and to safeguard successful dockings.
MOSCOW, June 12 (RIA Novosti)