ISS orbit raised by 1 km before Progress MS-23 resupply spacecraft's arrival

MOSCOW. May 18 (Interfax) - The engines of the Progress MS-22 resupply spacecraft were activated to adjust the International Space Station (ISS)'s altitude by one kilometre, in preparation for the Progress MS-23 spacecraft's arrival, Russia's Roscosmos state space corporation said on Thursday.

"The engines of the Progress MS-22 spacecraft [which is] docked with Russia's Zvezda service module were activated at 7:43 p.m. Moscow time. They functioned for 353.1 seconds and increased the station's velocity by 0.55 m/s," it said.

After the maneuver was completed, the station's average altitude had reportedly increased by one kilometer, to 416.6 kilometers, it said.

A Soyuz 2.1a launch vehicle carrying the Progress MS-23 is due to lift off from Baikonur Cosmodrome on May 24, 2023.