SpaceX’s Dragon Cargo Spacecraft Successfully Docks with ISS
SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) after a day and a half of orbital chase. The uncrewed spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 21, and rendezvous occurred on Saturday morning with NASA astronauts monitoring from inside the ISS Cupola module.
The spacecraft autonomously docked to the zenith port of the station’s Harmony module, delivering a cargo breakdown that includes crew supplies, science investigations, spacewalk equipment, vehicle hardware, and computer resources. This marks SpaceX’s 30th commercial resupply mission to the ISS, with Dragon delivering 6,263 pounds of fresh food, research experiments, and maintenance hardware for the station’s crew.
Dragon is set to remain docked to the ISS for about five weeks before returning to Earth. SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon is capable of atmospheric reentry and recovery after a parachuted splashdown in the ocean, a feature that NASA utilizes to return experiments from the station and discard waste.
The successful docking of the Dragon cargo spacecraft highlights SpaceX’s continuing partnership with NASA in supplying the ISS and advancing scientific research in space. Stay tuned for updates on Dragon’s mission and its return to Earth in the coming weeks on The Puck Drop.
