Russia's Mission Control has adjusted the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) by raising it 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles), a spokesman for the control center said on Wednesday.
"The maneuver was carried out to ensure the best conditions for the docking of [Russia's] Progress M-09M space freighter and the [U.S.] Discovery shuttle using eight thrusters of the Progress M-07M cargo spacecraft [currently] docked with the station's Zvezda module," the spokesman said.
He added that the ISS orbit has been raised to 352.9 km (219 miles).
Corrections to the space station's orbit are conducted periodically before launches of Russian cargo ships and U.S. shuttles to compensate for the Earth's gravity and to safeguard successful dockings.
Russia's Progress M-09M space freighter is scheduled for launch on January 28, while the final Discovery shuttle is expected to depart for the ISS on February 3, 2011.
MOSCOW, December 22 (RIA Novosti)
