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Mission Control Centre to correct ISS orbit for docking with Progress ship

MOSCOW, January 16, 2:18 /ITAR-TASS/. The Moscow Mission Control Centre (MCC) will correct the orbit of the International Space Station /ISS/ to create optimal conditions for docking the station with Progress M -22M cargo ship.

"In order to raise the ISS orbit we shall use Progress M -21M’s engines. The operation is scheduled for 5:54 Moscow time. The engines will operate for 493.4 seconds, thus providing to the ISS a boost of 1.12 m/s and its orbit’s height will increase by almost two kilometres."

This year's Progress M -22M cargo spacecraft’s first launch is scheduled for February 5 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 20:23 Moscow time. The docking with the station is scheduled for February 6 at 02:24 Moscow time.

The ISS orbit’s correction manoeuvres are done usually in order to bring the station to a desired orbit for docking with a cargo or manned spacecraft, to create conditions for a successful landing, as well as to evade space "garbage." Every day, under the influence of the Earth's gravity and other factors, height of the ISS orbit reduces by 150-200 metres.