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SpaceX’s Dragon Endeavour spacecraft has docked with the International Space Station, Fox News reports.
The spaceship is crewed by NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken.
The historic Demo-2 mission is the first time that astronauts have launched from American soil since the final Space Shuttle flight in 2011.
The spacecraft launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center Saturday.
Here’s the launch if you missed it:
The mission is also the first time a private company, rather than a national government, has sent astronauts into orbit.
The spacecraft made its ‘soft capture’ docking with the International Space Station at 10:16 am ET after an almost 19-hour journey to the orbiting space lab. The space station was 262 statute miles above the border of northern China and Mongolia when the docking occurred. “Hard capture” docking was complete at 10:28 am ET.
The hatch is expected to open around 12:45 pm ET, with a welcome ceremony at 1:15 pm ET…
President Donald Trump and Mike Pence, who is chairman of the National Space Council, were at Kennedy Space Center to watch Hurley and Behnken lift off from storied launch pad 39A, which was also used for the Apollo and space shuttle programs.
Live updates: Crew Dragon Docking and Hatch Opening
Docking confirmed! @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug officially docked to the @Space_Station at 10:16am ET: pic.twitter.com/hCM4UvbwjR
— NASA (@NASA) May 31, 2020
Docking confirmed – Crew Dragon has arrived at the @space_station! pic.twitter.com/KiKBpZ8R2H
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 31, 2020
Cameras on the @SpaceX #CrewDragon spot the station less than 500 meters away. #LaunchAmerica | https://t.co/yuOTrYN8CV pic.twitter.com/IPa4kYrlzp
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) May 31, 2020
