NASA and Northrop Grumman have completed a reboost manoeuvre using the Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft berthed to the International Space Station, raising the station’s orbit and helping set the phasing for SpaceX’s Crew-13 mission. The 18-minute engine firing adjusted the ISS by about 1.5 miles at apogee and 0.8 miles at perigee, with Crew-13 targeted to launch no earlier than 1 October from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The operation underlines the growing operational role of Cygnus beyond cargo transport. The spacecraft delivered more than 11,000 pounds of supplies and science to the station after arriving in April and is expected to remain berthed until October, when disposal cargo will be loaded before destructive re-entry. NASA linked the manoeuvre directly to station traffic management ahead of the incoming crew.
Crew-13 is scheduled to fly aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket. The mission timing will support handover preparations on the orbiting laboratory and follows the station’s ongoing need to balance visiting vehicles, crew rotations and orbital maintenance.