Dragon-berthed

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) unmanned Dragon cargo spacecraft has been successfully attached to the International Space Station (ISS) by Expedition 33 crew members using the station’s robotic arm.

The capsule was first manoeuvred 30ft nearer to the ISS, then slowly guided towards the Earth-facing port of the station’s Harmony module, which enabled astronauts to berth the cargo flight to the station for an 18-day stay.

IIS’s CanadArm2 caught hold of the Dragon spacecraft after a thorough check of all system and communication links between the ISS and controllers on Earth.

Dragon delivered 882lbs of supplies to the ISS crew, which includes 260lbs of supplies, 390lbs of scientific research, and 225lbs of hardware and other supplies.

After the scheduled 18-day stay at the orbiting laboratory, Dragon is expected to land in the Pacific Ocean with the assistance of parachute, off the coast of southern California on 28 October.

On its return journey, the teardrop-shaped capsule will carry 1,673lbs of supplies, which will comprise 866lbs of scientific research data, 163lbs of crew supplies and 518lbs of vehicle and other hardware.

"The capsule was first manoeuvred 30ft nearer to the ISS, then slowly guided towards the Earth-facing port of the station’s Harmony module."

NASA stated that the Dragon’s capability to return cargo from the station is vital for aiding scientific research in the microgravity environment at ISS, which will increase the scope to understand how humans can work, live and thrive safely in space for longer periods.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US, on 7 October with the cargo capsule to ISS and a secondary payload Prototype OG2 Satellite.

However, the rocket failed to place the satellite in the intended orbit as one of its nine Merlin engines failed approximately 80 seconds into the flight.

SpaceX signed a $1.6bn commercial resupply services (CRS) contract with NASA to carry cargo in 12 flights to the space station until 2016.

This delivery flight is the first contracted resupply mission undertaken by the company under the contract, although Dragon embarked on a successful demonstration trip in May 2012.

Image: The Dragon cargo spacecraft delivered 882lbs of supplies to the ISS crew. Photo: courtesy of Space Exploration Technologies Corp.