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| Cygnus Capsule Fails to Push ISS Into Higher Orbit |
Florida - Northrop Grumman's Cygnus capsule failed to prompt the International Space Station (ISS) to maneuver due to a disturbance of unknown cause.
The Cygnus propulsion engine started at 11:20 am EDT (1520 GMT) to propel the ISS, but after five seconds it died. It is known that cargo ships docked to the ISS regularly fire thrusters to keep the space laboratory in orbit at cruising altitude.
Usually, this task is carried out by the Russian Progress capsule, but on Monday 20 June 2022 it was the Cygnus capsule's turn to propel the ISS. Cygnus is scheduled to complete a five-minute burn to evaluate whether the capsule is ready to perform this task on a regular basis. However, the Cygnus engine shuts down after just five seconds of running.
Northrop Grumman isn't sure what caused it. Luckily the failure didn't cause any problems for the seven astronauts who live and work on the International Space Station. “The crew of Expedition 67, are not in danger, they are continuing their routine work above the complex, which orbits about 418 kilometers above Earth.
Today's maneuver was originally scheduled for Saturday 18 June 2022, but was postponed after Russia's Progress capsule docked to the ISS laboratory performed a 4.5-minute thrust on Thursday 16 June 2022. The maneuver was to avoid space debris approaching at a distance. about 0.5 miles or 0.8 km.
Scientists estimate that the debris, possibly the remnant of a Russian anti-satellite test in November 2021. Then NASA wants to make a reboost attempt with the Cygnus capsule, which is standard operation for every spacecraft. NASA and flight controller Northrop Grumman are reviewing data from today's effort. It will then develop plans for the next steps needed to continue developing this enhanced capability as a standard service for NASA.