NEW YORK, November 5. /TASS/. The SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft successfully docked to the International Space Station within the 31st commercial resupply mission, according to the livestream at the NASA website.
The spacecraft took off from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Tuesday, and autonomously docked with the ISS at 09:52 Eastern Time.
The Cargo Dragon delivered food, supplies and equipment for the ISS crew, including the solar coronagraph for examination of solar wind, Antarctic moss for observation of space radiation and microgravity on plants, and a device to test cold welding of metals in microgravity. In addition, the ISS crew will study the effect of outer space on various materials.
The Cargo Dragon is expected to stay docked until December, when it is supposed to make a splashdown near Florida.
In addition to the Cargo Dragon, Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft is also being used to deliver cargo to the ISS. However, the Cygnus burns down in the atmosphere, along with the trash it takes away from the ISS.