Posted: Wed, Feb 16, 2005, 8:32 AM ET (1332 GMT)
A thruster burn by a Progress cargo spacecraft has increased the altitude of the International Space Station by over three kilometers, according to Russian media reports. The Progress M-51 spacecraft, docked to the ISS, fired its thrusters for 456 seconds early Wednesday, raising the station's orbit by 3.3 kilometers. Russian officials said the maneuver went off as planned; a similar maneuver in November, using a different Progress, raised the orbit less than expected because of human error. The maneuver is designed to correct the gradual decay of the station's orbit caused by drag, as well as to optimize the station's orbit for the arrival of a new Progress spacecraft scheduled for launch at the end of the month.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article
•  Itar-Tass article