The International Space Station is no longer just drifting; it is being driven. SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft executed a massive 19 minute thruster burn, marking the fifth time during the mission that hardware from the commercial titan has physically hoisted the station into higher ground.
For decades, the ISS relied on Russian Progress vehicles to keep from sinking into the atmosphere.
Now, SpaceX is proving that the West doesn't need a middleman to keep the lights on in low Earth orbit.
This 19 minute maneuver added several kilometers to the station's altitude, countering the relentless atmospheric drag that tries to pull the ISS back to Earth.
Since docking in late August, Dragon has evolved from a cargo courier into an active guardian, using a specialized "boost kit" in its trunk, equipped with six propellant tanks and two dedicated Draco thrusters, to handle the heavy lifting.
By the time Dragon undocks in January 2026, it will have performed more reboosts than any commercial vehicle in history.
If you control the propulsion, you control the mission.
Source: NasaGOV, SpaceFlightNow, ArsTechnica