The planned maneuver to restart the International Space Station ended in just 5 seconds for unknown reasons.
Cargo ships attached to the International Space Station regularly fire their pushers in short bursts to keep the orbital laboratory at its cruising altitude. These vehicles are usually Russian Progress capsules, but a Northrop Grumman Cygnus vehicle is scheduled to complete a five-minute incineration on Monday (June 20th) to assess whether the capsule is ready to meet this obligation on a regular basis.
The engine started at 11:20 EDT (15:20 GMT), but stopped only after five seconds, according to a statement from NASA (opens in a new section). Northrop Grumman is still unsure what caused the abortion, the agency said.
The problem is not a problem for the seven astronauts who live and work on the International Space Station, the agency said. “The crew of Expedition 67, which has never been in danger, continues its regular operation on board the complex, which travels about 260 miles [418 kilometers] above the Earth “, officials write.
Related: International Space Station at 20: Photo Tour
Today’s maneuver was originally scheduled for Saturday (June 18th), but was postponed after a Progress capsule attached to the orbital lab performed a 4.5-minute boost on Thursday (June 16th) to ensure the station avoided piece of debris.
Scientists have estimated that the wreckage, possibly the remnants of Russia’s November 2021 anti-satellite test, may have approached 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the station without a defensive maneuver.
The Cygnus capsule, currently in orbit, arrived at the lab in February. The astronauts packed the vehicle with garbage before its planned destruction in the Earth’s atmosphere later this month. But before that happens, NASA wants to try to restart, which should become standard practice for Cygnus vehicles.
“NASA and Northrop Grumman flight controllers are reviewing data from today’s experience and will develop a plan for the next steps needed to further develop this enhanced capability as a standard service for NASA,” agency officials said in a statement today.
Send Meghan Bartels an email at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels (opens in a new section). Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in a new section) and on Facebook (opens in a new section).
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