SpaceX tests new orbital boost for International Space Station

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft successfully completed an initial test Wednesday to demonstrate a new capability that helps maintain the International Space Station’s (ISS) orbital altitude.

The spacecraft used two Draco engines located in its trunk, which houses an independent propellant system, to perform a burn lasting five minutes and three seconds. The maneuver raised the station’s lowest orbital point, or perigee, by around one mile (1.6 kilometers), positioning the ISS in an orbit of 260.9 x 256.3 miles above Earth.

NASA said the new boost system will support the space station through a series of longer burns planned periodically throughout fall 2025. These altitude adjustments are critical because atmospheric drag gradually lowers the station’s orbit. Without regular reboosts, the ISS could naturally reenter Earth’s atmosphere within one to two years, depending on solar activity levels.

Dragon arrived at the ISS on August 25 as part of SpaceX’s 33rd commercial resupply mission. The spacecraft is scheduled to remain docked until late December or early January before returning to Earth with research materials and cargo, splashing down off the coast of California.

The ISS, an orbiting laboratory operational since 1998, has hosted a continuous human presence for more than 23 years and is scheduled to end operations around 2030-2031 with a controlled deorbit.

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