The SpaceX capsule delivered 5,000 lbs worth of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) over the weekend. Italian astronaut Luca Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency (ESA) snapped the Dragon on approach on Saturday, July 27. SpaceX launched the Dragon towards the ISS on Thursday, July 25, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Two days later, the spacecraft was manually intercepted by NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch using a robotic arm.
ESA said: “It is busy in space. Just one week into his mission Beyond, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano and his fellow crew members welcomed a Dragon cargo vehicle to the International Space Station.
“The 18th resupply mission launched by SpaceX on 25 July arrived to the orbital outpost two days later.
“NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch used the Canadarm2 to capture and dock the Dragon to the Harmony node of the Space Station, while Luca served as backup support.”
Upon arrival, Mr Parmitano snapped a stunning picture of the approaching spacecraft.
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The astronaut shared it online with his 583,000 Twitter followers, with the caption: “Flight of the Dragon.”
SpaceX’s signature Dragon capsule is a free-flying spacecraft designed to carry both cargo and people to and from the ISS.
Under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, the capsule is being redesigned to carry astronauts on future manned missions to the space station.
Doing so will cut NASA’s dependency on Russian Soyuz rockets to send crews into orbit.
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SpaceX said: “The Dragon spacecraft is capable of carrying up to seven passengers to and from Earth orbit, and beyond.
“The pressurised section of the capsule is designed to carry both people and environmentally sensitive cargo.
“Towards the base of the capsule and contained within the nose cone are the Draco thrusters, which allow for orbital manoeuvring.”
According to ESA, SpaceX’s resupply missions are vital towards keeping the ISS operational.
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Each resupply mission carries fresh reserves of water, food, cargo, tools and science experiments for the six astronauts on board the ISS.
On Saturday, the Dragon delivered three Europe-based experiments to the ISS.
The investigations are the Biorock experiment by the University of Edinburgh, the Amyloid Aggregation experiment and the Multiscale Boiling experiment.
ESA said: “Dragon will stay docked to the International Space Station for a month, after which it will return to Earth with equipment and scientific samples.”
