Roscosmos announced the completion of a planned maneuver to correct the orbit of the International Space Station. On March 13, at 19:58 Moscow time, the engines of the Progress MS-32 cargo ship, which is docked to the station, were activated. They operated for 634.7 seconds and gave the complex an impulse of 0.62 m/s. As a result, the average flight altitude of the ISS increased by 1.1 km and now amounts to 421.54 km above the Earth's surface.
Such maneuvers are carried out regularly. The Earth's atmosphere, although rarefied at such an altitude, still creates resistance. Due to the large sail area of the modules, the station gradually loses speed and descends. The correction compensates for this natural braking and returns the orbit to its calculated parameters.
Another reason is preparation for the reception of new ships. The optimal altitude simplifies approach and docking, reduces flight time, and saves fuel for arriving spacecraft. In addition, raising the orbit helps to avoid potentially dangerous collisions with fragments of space debris, the trajectories of which are tracked by ground services.
Stable orbital parameters are also important for scientific work. Many experiments require predictable microgravity conditions, and sudden changes in altitude can affect the accuracy of measurements. Planned corrections maintain the required mode for research.
There are currently nine people working on board the ISS: Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev, and Andrei Fedyaev, NASA astronauts Christopher Williams, Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, and a representative of the European Space Agency, Sophie Adenot. The crew continues to carry out the flight program, including technical work and scientific experiments.
All station systems are functioning normally after the maneuver. The next correction will be scheduled as needed, taking into account the forecast of orbital decay, launch schedule, and data on space debris.