ISS orbit adjustment maneuver fails

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MOSCOW, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The European Space Agency's ATV-3 space freighter failed on Wednesday to readjust the orbit of the International Space Station, a space industry source said.

Russia's Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said earlier in the day the engines of the Edoardo Amaldi spacecraft, docked at Russia's Zvezda module on the ISS, would be fired to raise the ISS orbit by 4.8 miles to 258 miles, RIA Novosti reported.

The orbital adjustment was intended to ensure the best conditions for the landing of Russia's Soyuz TMA-04M manned spacecraft on its return to Earth and the docking of the Soyuz TMA-06M manned spacecraft with the ISS, scheduled for October 15.

Adjustments to the space station's orbit are conducted periodically to compensate for the Earth's gravity and to facilitate the successful docking and undocking of spacecraft.

Another attempt could be made Friday, experts said.