Roscosmos postponed correction of the ISS orbit for two days

The correction of the International Space Station’s orbital altitude, scheduled for February 6, has been postponed to February 8. About it reported on the Roscosmos website.

“The correction of the height of the orbit of the International Space Station, previously scheduled for February 6, 2022, has been postponed to February 8 due to ballistic conditions. To ensure the correction, the engines of the Progress MS-18 cargo ship will be used,” the message says.

The engines will be turned on at 10:56 Moscow time and will run for 142.3 seconds. The purpose of the correction is to form ballistic conditions before the launch of the Soyuz MS-21 transport manned spacecraft into orbit (March 18) and the landing of the Soyuz MS-19 (March 30).

Roscosmos intends to correct the orbit of the ISS at the request of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). “At the request of the Americans, to ensure the conditions for their experiments, we will transfer to another orbit. Now we will fly not in an orbit of 419 km, but 3 km less – 416 km, ”said Rafail Murtazin, head of the ballistics department of RSC Energia (part of Roscosmos).