The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule safely docked with the International Space Station a few minutes ahead of schedule on Sunday, with two NASA astronauts on board, a crucial milestone for this historic mission.
Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who took off on a SpaceX rocket the day before from Florida, are the first astronauts to join the ISS, 400 km from Earth. The Crew Dragon capsule docked at the ISS at 2:16 p.m. GMT. "Mooring confirmed," confirmed the company created by Elon Musk and NASA.
Docking confirmed - Crew Dragon has arrived at the @space_station! pic.twitter.com/KiKBpZ8R2H
- SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 31, 2020The airlock between Dragon and the space station must now be depressurized before the capsule hatch is opened.
Towards the end of American dependence on the Russians
Originally scheduled for Friday, the launch of the SpaceX rocket had to be postponed until the next day due to threatening weather and a risk of lightning. Saturday in Florida, SpaceX therefore became the first private company to launch astronauts into space, a historic success which offers the United States a new means of space transport, after nine years of interruption.
Since the end of the space shuttles in 2011, Russian rockets have been sending the Americans to the ISS. But NASA has commissioned SpaceX to develop a new space taxi, and if this mission - which could last until August - is certified safe, the Americans will no longer depend on the Russians to access space. For three billion dollars, SpaceX has promised NASA six round trips to the ISS, with four astronauts on board.
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