Living in Space, Space Systems, Spaceflight & Parabolic Flight

SpaceX Crew Dragon successfully docks to the ISS and crew enters capsule

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the International Space Station early this morning. The uncrewed vehicle, which was launched on Saturday morning, approached the station very systematically, carrying out a set of highly choreographed actions to prove that it was capable of safely maneuvering near the station before being allowed to approach autonomously, and very slowly, push its nose into the docking adapter on the port of the Harmony module.

The first Crew Dragon docked to the ISS.

The hatch was opened about 2 hours after the docking. Crew members entered the capsule wearing air masks in case there were any leaks of noxious fumes into the capsule during the trip to the station.

Some photos of the Dragon and the ISS during the rendezvous and docking:

The Crew Dragon nears the station. The nose cap was opened soon after the Dragon was deployed from the Falcon 9 upper stage.
A view of the ISS from the Crew Dragon. Overlaid are indicators of the vehicle’s distance from the station, relative speed, etc.
Targeting the docking adapter on the Harmony module.
Views from a camera on the Crew Dragon of the docking port (left) and from a camera on the ISS of the Dragon (right).
Ripley waits in the Dragon while the crew prepared to open the hatch. The astronauts wear masks initially in case of any air quality problems in the capsule.
Astronaut David Saint-Jacques and cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko test the air inside the Dragon. Astronaut Anne McClain remained in the Harmony module.

More about the docking at:

An appropriate musical tribute to the Crew Dragon flight:

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