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International Space Station Executes Orbit Adjustment for Soyuz Docking; NASA Astronaut Shares Striking Video
The International Space Station (ISS) performed an altitude and attitude adjustment ahead of the docking of the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft, allowing for a smooth arrival of three new crew members. As part of the maneuver, the ISS rotated 180 degrees and temporarily flew in reverse — a rare and precisely coordinated operation.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit captured the event in a captivating nighttime timelapse video, which he shared on social media platform X. Filmed from the station’s cupola window, the footage highlights the orbital maneuver along with vivid green auroras resulting from heightened solar activity. “Timelapse during a nighttime @Space_Station change in attitude where we rotated 180 degrees and flew backwards for yesterday’s Soyuz docking. This is a bit long but keep watching for the surprise in the middle,” Pettit wrote in the post.
The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 1:47 a.m. ET (11:17 a.m. IST) and docked with the ISS approximately three hours later. The new crew members — NASA astronaut Jonny Kim and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritskiy — were welcomed aboard the orbital laboratory at 7:28 a.m. ET (4:58 p.m. IST).
Don Pettit, currently aboard the station as part of the Soyuz MS-26 mission launched in September 2024, is expected to return to Earth on April 19, 2025, along with Russian cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. The incoming MS-27 crew will remain aboard the ISS for approximately eight months, during which they will conduct a series of scientific experiments and participate in routine station operations.
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