ROSCOSMOS - Russian Vehicles patch.
June 24, 2021
In order to form ballistic conditions before the launch of the manned spacecraft CST-100 Starliner (Boe-OFT 2), Soyuz MS-19, as well as the landing of the descent vehicle of the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, another correction of the orbital altitude of the International Space Station was carried out.
Progress MS-16 spacecraft. Image Credit: ROSCOSMOS
According to the updated data of the ballistic and navigation support service of the Flight Control Center of TsNIIMash (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation), on June 24, 2021 at 05:40 Moscow time, a command was issued and the engines of the Progress MS-16 spacecraft were turned on, which normally operated 466 seconds. The impulse value was 0.5 m / s. The average altitude of the station's orbit after the maneuver was 420.28 km above the Earth's surface.
ISS orbit parameters after the corrective maneuver:
- Orbital period: 92.92 min;
- Orbital inclination: 51.66 degrees;
- Minimum orbit altitude: 419.71 km;
- Maximum orbital altitude: 439.66 km.
Note that every day the International Space Station makes 15 or 16 orbits around the Earth. The route of a part of these loops passes through the visibility zones of the Russian ground command and measurement points, while other loops are "blind". The orbit of the maneuver is selected in such a way as to provide an opportunity to first send commands to the ISS to execute it, and then to monitor the operation using telemetric information and obtain measurements of the movement parameters after the maneuver using ground-based means. Depending on the date of maneuvering, the turns on which this is possible may occur at different times of the day.
Within the selected orbit, the time for performing the maneuver is selected based on the requirements for the parameters of the ISS orbit: it is usually necessary to form an orbit that is closest to a circular one, and also to ensure that there are no dangerous encounters with "space debris" after the maneuver.
Now the crew of the ISS-65 expedition, consisting of Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky, Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hai, who arrived on April 9, 2021 on the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, as well as crew members of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, are working on board the International Space Station. NASA Shane Kimbrow and Megan MacArthur, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
Related article:
ISS orbit will be increased by almost 1 km during the correction on June 24
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/06/iss-orbit-will-be-increased-by-almost-1.html
Related links:
ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/31617/
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/mks/
Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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