SpaceX Dragon Successfully Adjusts ISS Orbit
(MENAFN) In a pivotal demonstration on Wednesday, SpaceX executed a successful test of its Dragon spacecraft’s new ability to raise the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS), marking a significant advancement in station support operations.
According to NASA, Dragon fired two of its Draco thrusters for a duration of five minutes and three seconds, lifting the ISS's lowest orbital point by approximately one mile (1.6 kilometers). The space station now orbits Earth at an altitude of 260.9 x 256.3 miles.
The maneuver marks the first time Dragon has used its own propulsion system—housed in the spacecraft’s trunk—to perform such a reboost. The system operates independently of the station’s conventional boosting mechanisms, offering a new layer of redundancy and capability.
NASA stated that the new boost capability is set to assist the International Space Station with a sequence of extended reboost maneuvers scheduled for fall 2025.
The Dragon capsule, which arrived at the ISS on August 25 during SpaceX’s 33rd commercial resupply mission, is scheduled to stay docked until late December or early January. It will return to Earth carrying scientific research and cargo.
The ISS routinely requires altitude corrections to counteract atmospheric drag, which slowly reduces its orbit over time. Without such adjustments, NASA notes the station could descend into Earth’s atmosphere within one to two years, depending on solar activity.
Operational since 1998 and continuously inhabited for more than 23 years, the ISS is slated to retire between 2030 and 2031, at which point it will undergo a controlled deorbit.
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