Dragon is docking after a 19-hour journey.
By Emily Shapiro,Ella Torres,Catherine Thorbecke and Bill Hutchinson ABC News
Astronauts on board the Dragon successfully docked at the International Space Station Sunday morning, 19 hours after the successful NASA-SpaceX launch.
At 10:16 a.m. Eastern time, the Dragon spacecraft carrying veteran NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley rendezvoused with the space station 262 statute miles above the border of China and Mongolia.
«Docking soft capture. We have docking,» NASA mission control in Houston announced.
The accomplishment came at 18 hours and 58 minutes after the SpaceX rocket propelled the astronauts into a new chapter of space exploration, marking the first time a privately funded space program teamed with NASA on such an endeavor.
The SpaceX Dragon crew capsule, with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken aboard, docks with the International Space Station, May 31, 2020.The SpaceX Dragon crew capsule, with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken aboard, docks with the International Space Station, May 31, 2020.NASA TV via APShortly after linking up with the space station, 12 latches of the Dragon were deployed creating an airtight seal that will allow Behnken and Hurley to entered a vestibule and go into the space station.
«It’s been a real honor to be just a small part of this nine-year endeavor since the last time a United States space ship docked with the International Space Station,» Hurley said after the historic accomplishment.
Flight director Zeb Scoville, who was at mission control in Houston, congratulated the crew.
The SpaceX Dragon crew capsule, with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken aboard, docks with the International Space Station, May 31, 2020.The SpaceX Dragon crew capsule, with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Robert Behnken aboard, docks with the International Space Station, May 31, 2020.NASA TV via AP»Bravo on a magnificent moment in spaceflight history, and on the start of a new journey that has changed the face of space travel in this new era of space transportation,” Scoville said.
Speeding into orbit at more than 17,500 mph, the Dragon spacecraft, now named Endeavour, was able to track down the International Space Station in about the same amount of time it takes for a commercial flight to travel from New York to Sydney, Australia. But the docking procedure was done slowly and cautiously.
Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator, said he was «so proud» after Saturday’s launch.
SpaceX Falcon 9, with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in the Dragon crew capsule, lifts off from Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., May 30, 2020.SpaceX Falcon 9, with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken in the Dragon crew capsule, lifts off from Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., May 30, 2020.John Raoux/AP«For the first time in nine years, we have now launched American astronauts on American rockets from American soil. I’m so proud of the @NASA and @SpaceX team for making this moment possible,» Bridenstine tweeted.
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were on hand at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch the launch on Saturday afternoon. The blast-off was initially scheduled to take place on Wednesday but was postponed due to weather conditions.
«It is absolutely our honor to be part of this huge effort to get the United States back in the launch business. We’ll talk to you from orbit,» Hurley said minutes before launch.
