Today at 19:56 GMT/21:56 CEST, a one-burn ISS reboost using the ATV Edoardo Amaldi thrusters will run for 904 sec and provide a change in velocity (‘delta-v’) for the ISS of 2.2 m/second, resulting in a predicted mean altitude increase of 3.86 km.

The aim of this reboost — the first ‘regular’ one in a series of planned Station boosts — is to continue setting up phasing for Progress 47P launch, Soyuz 28S undock/landing and Soyuz 30S launch; today’s boost follows last Saturday’s nominal ‘test’ reboost of just 1m/s.

After that burn, the ISS was at 389.7 km mean altitude, with 395.6 km apogee height and 383.7 perigee height. Purpose of the reboost was to test the ATV’s thruster functionality as well as set up phasing for 28S undock/landing (4/27), Progress 47P launch & Soyuz 30S launch.

Finally, what does a reboost feel like from inside the ISS? And how hot do ATV’s thrusters become? Watch below…

The inside story

And here’s a video of a test firing of 220 N thrusters (same as on ATV) in Astrium’s specialised test facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany.