SpaceX’s astronaut-riding Dragon capsule has docked at the International Space Station, after a historic liftoff from Florida.
SpaceX’s astronaut-riding Dragon capsule docked at the International Space Station on Sunday, just hours after a historic liftoff from Florida.
NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken reported that the capsule was performing beautifully, as they closed in for the docking.
The gleaming white capsule was easily visible from the station, its nose cone open exposing its docking hook, as the two spacecraft zoomed a few kilometres apart above the Atlantic, then Africa, then Asia.
It’s the first time a privately built and owned spacecraft carried crew to the orbiting lab and the first spaceflight of NASA astronauts from U.S. soil in 9 years.
The craft is an “exciting ride,” and “not like the simulator,” Brehnken said as the capsule was linked up to the space station.
The astronauts docked at 10:16 a.m. ET, 19 hours after liftoff, NASA reported.
📍 Reporting LIVE from space!@AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug take you inside the