Higher orbit for ISS

MOSCOW: The orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) was raised about 800m yesterday in preparation for a return trip by a Russian-made Soyuz spacecraft.

The adjustment was performed by firing engines on the station’s Zvezda module for about 30 seconds.

The station’s new average height above Earth is just over 405km, Russian media reported.

The manoeuvre puts the Soyuz craft on the right trajectory for a return trip to Earth planned for June 2 to bring French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy, who will have been in space for more than 180 days, back home. – dpa