Christine Thropp
A Northrop Grumman-built cargo spacecraft has reboosted the International Space Station to its desired altitude on orbit in preparation for future space operations.
The company said Monday Cygnus used its main onboard engine to conduct station orbit adjustment several months after the spacecraft docked to the ISS to deliver equipment and supplies to the astronauts aboard the space lab.
“This reboost of the ISS using Cygnus adds a critical capability to help maintain and support the space station,” commented Steve Krein, vice president of civil and commercial space for tactical space systems unit at Northrop.
The reboost mission on Saturday built on lessons gained from an earlier but suspended attempt to adjust the orbit of the station.
Aside from doing cargo supply and performing an operational reboost, Cygnus will help inform other Northrop-led human space initiatives.
“Cygnus is the basis of the Habitation and Logistics Outpost, or HALO, the first module planned for NASA’s Lunar Gateway which will orbit the moon and serve as a staging point for exploration of the lunar surface and enable future exploration beyond the moon,” said Krein.
The spacecraft marked its first mission to the ISS in 2013.
