The correction of the orbit of the International Space Station did not take place due to the fact that the engines of the Progress spacecraft did not turn on.

International Space Station (Photo: Global Look Press)

The failed correction of the ISS orbit was reported by TASS with reference to the Mission Control Center. A source in the rocket and space field clarified that the command to turn on the engines came from the ground services of the Mission Control Center, however, according to the US National Aerospace Agency (NASA), the engines never turned on. Due to the fact that the Progress engines did not turn on, the on-board computer on the ISS issued a command to cancel the orbit correction operation.

Previously, the Mission Control Center planned to correct the ISS orbit on May 16 in accordance with the program for its ballistic flight support.

The engines of the Progress M-26M spacecraft were supposed to operate for 901 seconds, and it was assumed that they would provide the impulse of 1.64 m/s necessary to raise the orbit.

The average flight altitude was supposed to be increased by 2.8 km. A second attempt to adjust the ISS orbit may be made within a week.

As RIA Novosti reports, citing a source in Roscosmos, the incident with Progress will not lead to a postponement of the launch of the Proton-M launch vehicle with the Mexican satellite from Baikonur. The launch is scheduled for 8:48 Moscow time on May 16.

Problems with the Progress engines led to the failure of the ISS orbit correction