SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule as it approached the International Sapce Station. (Credit: NASA TV) SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule successfully completed its first docking with the International Space Station on Sunday morning, following a successful launch Saturday morning. This marks the first time SpaceX has ever docked with ISS under its own power. The Crew Dragon docking went smooth, allaying safety concerns.
Previously, the Dragon cargo capsule has merely flown close before being grabbed by a robotic arm under the control of ISS crewmembers. This was SpaceX’s first attempt at docking using their own guidance and propulsion systems. Even last week, two days before launch, Russia still had safety concerns with the docking procedure, deputy ISS program manager Joel Montalbano said in a pre-launch briefing last week. SpaceX uses a different guidance system than past craft that docked directly with ISS. Russia is a stakeholder in the station itself, and also ...
