International Space Station orbit altered

MOSCOW, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The International Space Station is now in a higher orbit above the Earth thanks to a Russian spacecraft, a mission control official said Saturday.

A mission control spokesman told RIA-Novosti that Russia's Progress M-65 spacecraft took part in the procedure, aimed at increasing the station's orbit by thousands of feet.

"The engine of the Progress M-65 spacecraft was fired for 282 seconds," the unidentified official said. "The average height of the ISS orbit has been increased by 1.25 km (4,100 feet) to become approximately 353 km (219 miles)."

The M-65 spacecraft was initially launched in September to deliver supplies to the station, where it has remained docked.

RIA-Novosti said the change in the station's orbit was necessary to help facilitate the upcoming arrival of the Soyuz spacecraft.

The Russian news agency said the craft is to be launched Oct. 12 and will deliver U.S. astronaut Mike Fincke, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov and U.S. space tourist Richard Garriott to the international space site.