ISS rotates 90 degrees to allow for undocking of Progress MS-27 — Roscosmos

MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. The International Space Station was rotated 90 degrees so that the Progress MS-27 spacecraft would be facing the right way when it undocked, Roscosmos said.
“Before the undocking, the ISS was rotated 90 degrees so that the Poisk module with the docked ‘freighter’ would be facing backwards – the opposite of the flight direction,” the state space corporation said, shedding some light on the undocking procedure, which took place on Tuesday.
According to Roscosmos, this maneuver allowed the Progress MS-27 to use just one pulse to travel to a lower orbit. This made it possible to save fuel before engaging the engines to slow down and de-orbit. After the undocking, the ISS was returned to its previous orbital orientation.
The Progress MS-29 spacecraft will replace the Progress MS-27. Its launch is scheduled for November 21, and its docking is scheduled for November 23.