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.
Sudan on Sunday restarted domestic passenger flights to Khartoum International Airport for the first time since the war erupted in April 2023, as a Su...
Russian drone strikes hit civilian sites across several Ukrainian regions overnight and on Sunday, leaving at least 12 people dead and more than a doz...
A freight train carrying with Russian grain has departed from Bilajari station in Azerbaijan, heading to Armenia via transit routes through Georgia....
Dmitry Medvedev said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as h...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has begun negotiations with European leaders over Greenland and that an agreement ...
Sudan on Sunday restarted domestic passenger flights to Khartoum International Airport for the first time since the war erupted in April 2023, as a Sudan Airways plane arrived from Port Sudan, state media reported.
Russian drone strikes hit civilian sites across several Ukrainian regions overnight and on Sunday, leaving at least 12 people dead and more than a dozen injured, Ukrainian officials said.
A freight train carrying with Russian grain has departed from Bilajari station in Azerbaijan, heading to Armenia via transit routes through Georgia.
Dmitry Medvedev said European countries have failed to defeat Russia in Ukraine and have instead inflicted serious economic damage on themselves, as he criticised EU policy, praised Donald Trump as a leader who seeks peace, and said Russia would “soon” achieve military victory in the war.
Catherine O’Hara, the celebrated Canadian actress and comedy legend, has died at the age of 71, her publicist confirmed on Friday. She passed away at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness.
Newly released Epstein files name French President Emmanuel Macron among figures referenced in millions of disclosed documents.
The United Nations faces the risk of “imminent financial collapse” because of unpaid contributions, including substantial arrears from the United States, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned.
Vladimir Putin said Russia earned more than $15 billion from defence exports in 2025 and fulfilled all military-technical contracts despite what he described as growing pressure from Western countries.
Explosions shook parts of southern Lebanon on Friday night as Israeli strikes rippled across the Zahrani district, with the blasts travelling toward the coastal city of Sidon.
Fresh observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal a massive galaxy cluster forming far sooner after the Big Bang than scientists once thought possible.
The landscape was full of giants, but the “perfect snack” 150 million years ago came from the smallest steps on the ground.
China has approved the first batch of Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence (AI) chips after Washington allowed limited sales, paving the way for major Chinese technology companies to gain access to processors that remain far ahead of domestic alternatives.
TikTok has reached a confidential settlement in a landmark lawsuit over youth mental health, leaving Meta and YouTube to face a jury in California as the first major trial of its kind gets underway.
China has successfully completed its first metal 3D printing experiment in space, marking a significant step forward in the country’s efforts to develop in-orbit manufacturing capabilities.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment