SpaceX Cargo Dragon Adjusts ISS Orbit in Successful 12.5-Minute Reboost Test

Nov 8, 2024, 07:08 PM

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft successfully performed its first demonstration of reboost capabilities for the International Space Station (ISS). On Friday at 12:50 p.m. EST, the Cargo Dragon CRS-31, vehicle C208, docked to the forward port of the Harmony module, fired its downward-facing Draco thrusters in small pulses for approximately 12.5 minutes. The maneuver adjusted the station's orbit, boosting the apogee by 7/100 of a mile and the perigee by 7/10 of a mile. This test, monitored by NASA and SpaceX, was mainly for data collection and confirmed the Dragon's ability to provide reboost and, eventually, attitude control to the ISS. The data collected will contribute to SpaceX's development of a deorbit module, as NASA has contracted SpaceX to safely deorbit the ISS at the end of its operational life.