A Propellant-saving Orbital Maneuver | International Space Station

A Propellant-saving Orbital Maneuver | International Space Station

Expedition 71/72 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Don Pettit: "Timelapse of the ISS Optimal Propellant Maneuver (OPM)! We use this to reorient station's attitude in preparation for docking events. This one occurred over some magnificent Mediterranean city lights!"

The International Space Station (ISS) optimal propellant maneuver (OPM) is a fuel‑efficient thruster‑based reorientation method that uses pre‑planned attitude trajectories to exploit spacecraft dynamics, saving up to 93% propellant compared to conventional maneuvers.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned to Earth on April 19, 2025, concluding a seven-month science mission aboard the International Space Station. Pettit spent 220 days in space, earning him a total of 590 days in space over the course of his four spaceflights. He orbited the Earth 3,520 times, traveling 93.3 million miles in low-Earth orbit.

Follow Expedition 75:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 75 Crew
Station Commander: Jessica Meir
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Anna Kikina, Pyotr Dubrov

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Video Credit: NASA/JSC/D. Pettit
Duration: 13 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 6, 2026

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