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ISS orbital altitude to increase by 350 m before Soyuz manned spacecraft’s arrival

As Roscosmos specified, the maneuver will be conducted by a Progress MS-16 space freighter

Soyuz-2.1a rocket booster with the Soyuz MS-18 Roscosmos Press Office/TASS

Soyuz-2.1a rocket booster with the Soyuz MS-18

© Roscosmos Press Office/TASS

MOSCOW, May 12, /TASS/. The orbital altitude of the International Space Station (ISS) will be adjusted on May 20 before the arrival of a Soyuz MS-19 manned spacecraft, Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos said in a statement on Wednesday.

"In order to create initial ballistic conditions before the launch of a Soyuz MS-19 crewed transport spacecraft and the landing of a Soyuz MS-18 spaceship, a new adjustment of the International Space Station’s orbit has been scheduled for May 20, 2021," the Russian space agency said.

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As Roscosmos specified, the maneuver will be conducted by a Progress MS-16 space freighter. According to the calculations of the Flight Control Center of the Roscosmos Central Research Institute of Machine-Building (TsNIIMash), the cargo spaceship’s thrusters will be ignited at 8:01 p.m. Moscow time to operate for 180 seconds, with an impulse of 0.2 m/s.

"After the maneuver, the ISS’ medium altitude will increase by 350 meters to 419.72 km," the Roscosmos press office said.

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