Cygnus the swan lifts up the International Space Station | Space photo of the day for Sept. 14, 2026

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Everyone needs a helping hand from their friends now and again  — even space stations. Recently, the International Space Station got an orbital boost from the docked Cygnus XL spacecraft, helping the station get to the correct altitude.

What is it?

On Aug. 27, while attached to the International Space Station's Unity module, Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft turned its engines on and fired them.

This planned maneuver lifted the space station's orbit, pushing it into a higher altitude. This image snapped from orbit shows Cygnus, named for the swan constellation, as it's attached to the station for this planned push.

But why lift the space station to a higher altitude above Earth?

Next week, the space station will receive a new visitor: the Progress 96 resupply spacecraft. This altitude shift allowed the space station to shift into a position that will allow Progress 96, the 96th cargo mission in a series of Russian Progress cargo missions, to rendezvous and dock with the station.

Why is it incredible?

This maneuver was routine, but emblematic of the incredible progress we've made in space. Not only can we build spacecraft and send them into orbit, but we can control these spacecraft well enough that they help each other out, boosting each other when necessary.

And while Progress 96 might seem like a run-of-the-mill cargo ship carrying cargo like water, fuel, food, scientific instruments and additional supplies to the station, it is also the 96th Progress mission to a space station. In fact, the first Progress mission took place way before the International Space Station even existed. This first mission sent cargo to the Soviet Salyut 6 station all the way back in 1978 and with 96 on the verge of liftoff, the Russian Progress missions are going strong to this day.

Together, the combination of this lift maneuver and this 96th cargo mission show how incredibly well we as humans have worked together to build a sustainable presence in orbit and how that has happened with the aid of international collaboration between nations like the U.S. and Russia.