MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The International Space Station (ISS) has increased its average altitude by about 1,970 feet after an orbit adjustment maneuver using Progress MS-06 cargo spacecraft engines, a representative from the Mission Control Center (MCC) told Sputnik on Sunday.
"The engines worked for 177 seconds, after which the average altitude of the station increased by approximately 0.6 kilometers [about 1,970 feet] and became equal to 404.2 kilometers [251 miles]," the representative said.
The maneuver was previously rescheduled from Friday to Sunday because of revised estimates for the best ballistic conditions.
The adjustment will allow the ISS to prepare for the successful landing of the Soyuz MS-04 manned spacecraft, which will bring Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and US astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson of Expedition 52 back to the Earth in September.