Vladimir Solovyov, the head of the Russian segment of the world's sole orbital station, said there was no need to repeat the test, which would have shifted the station's orbit.

"We docked the Progress M-56 freighter successfully on April 26, and for the moment there is no further need to correct the orbit," he said.

The external antenna had been installed for communication between the ISS and the European-built Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), known as the Jules Verne. The ATV, currently at European Space Agency's test center in the Netherlands, will be used to transport provisions, scientific payloads and propellant to the station from 2008.

Solovyov said, "At the launch of the 13th expedition of the Russian program scheduled for June 1-5, we will not attempt to move the hatch or reinstall the communications antenna at another place - the correcting engines of the station are in the long run not essential.

"We have always made changes to the orbit using the engines of the Progress freighters docked to the ISS, and we will continue to do so."

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