ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet is sharing scenes from life on board the International Space Station during his second mission “Alpha”. This video was sped up 80 times, and shows JAXA’s Aki Hoshide, and Thomas during a boost of the International Space Station to a higher orbit.

Flying at around 400 km around our planet the International Space Station requires regular reboosts to overcome the effects of atmospheric drag which makes the outpost lose about 100 m in altitude a day.

Russian Progress cargo spacecraft raise the orbit frequently, ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicles also performed this task when they were docked to the Station. This reboost was performed by the  Progress MS-16.

The astronauts inside the Space Station stay at the speed and direction they were travelling in but the modules around them change speed and course, making it seem as if they moving – in reality it is the Space Station around them that is moving!

Over 200 experiments are planned during Thomas’ time in space, with 40 European ones and 12 new experiments led by the French space agency CNES.

Latest updates on the Alpha mission can be found via @esaspaceflight on Twitter, with more details on ESA’s exploration blog via thomaspesquet.esa.int.

Background information on the Alpha mission is available at www.esa.int/MissionAlpha with a brochure at www.esa.int/AlphaBrochure.