SpaceNews: the American Cygnus ship can become an alternative to the Russian "Progress"
The American Cygnus cargo ship can become an alternative to the Russian Progress if it is necessary to correct the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS), SpaceNews says .
The American edition reminds that currently the Russian and American segments of the ISS cannot function independently of each other. Thus, the Progress engines allow for orbit correction, while the US segment is the main source of electricity at the station.
The publication notes that the Cygnus spacecraft, which docked to the ISS in February, should conduct tests in April to correct the station's orbit.
Thus, SpaceNews reacted to the warning of Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin about the consequences of Washington blocking cooperation with Moscow on the ISS. "If you block cooperation with us, who will save the ISS from uncontrolled de-orbiting and falling into the territory of the USA or Europe? There is also the option of a 500-ton structure falling on India and China," the manager wrote in his Telegram channel.
In July 2018, NASA announced the successful correction of the ISS orbit by the Cygnus spacecraft, as a result of which the station rose 90 meters.
The Cygnus cargo ship is launched on an Antares rocket with a Russian RD-181 engine at the first stage.
