SpaceX Dragon gives ISS a helping hand with altitude

Demonstration paves way for more reboosts before station's eventual deorbit

NASA and SpaceX have demonstrated the Dragon spacecraft's ability to reboost the International Space Station (ISS) with a 12-minute, 30-second burn of the freighter's Draco thrusters.

The burn, which went ahead at 1250 EST on November 8, adjusted the orbit of the complex by 7/100 of a mile at apogee and 7/10 of a mile at perigee, proving that the SpaceX cargo spacecraft could be used in the same way as the Roscosmos Progress spacecraft and Northrop Grumman's Cygnus.

The ISS requires regular reboosts to prevent the complex from tumbling back to Earth. In the past, vehicles such as the European Space Agency's (ESA) Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) were also used to lift the altitude of the ISS. The ATV has, however, long since been retired, leaving only Roscosmos and Northrop Grumman as having vehicles capable of giving the ISS a push to remain in orbit and, eventually, the correct attitude.

NASA would prefer some extra options, and the successful Dragon demonstration is a step toward that goal.

It is also, however, a step toward the end of the ISS when the time comes to deorbit the space station in a controlled manner. Earlier this year, it was announced that SpaceX had won the contract to bring down the ISS at the end of its lifetime. Data gathered during the demonstration will be helpful in the design of a vehicle to send the ISS back to Earth.

At present, the ISS is expected to be retired in 2030, although an ESA astronaut, Andreas Mogensen, told The Register that he would not be surprised if the station's life was extended for a few more years. Russia, however, has not committed to the project beyond 2028.

The Dragon freighter, representing the 31st commercial resupply services mission for NASA, was launched on November 4 atop a Falcon 9 rocket and docked at the forward port of the ISS's Harmony module. In addition to demonstrating the reboost capability, the freighter carried more than 6,000 pounds of cargo to the outpost. ®