SpaceX Dragon capsule arrives at space station

Spacecraft has 1,000 pounds of supplies for astronauts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The International Space Station has successfully snared a "Dragon."

The SpaceX Dragon met up with the space station at 6:56 a.m. Wednesday.

"Looks like we've tamed the Dragon," SpaceX quoted ISS commander Sunita Williams as saying.

California-based SpaceX had announced that the space station crew would use a robotic arm to "grapple" the capsule, which is filled with 1,000 pounds of supplies for the astronauts.

The unmanned capsule will be bolted into place for its two-and-a-half-week stay. After the supplies, which include groceries, clothing and other gear, are pulled off, astronauts will reload the craft with scientific experiments and failed equipment that can be repaired and sent back.

SpaceX launched the mission Sunday night. But a minute and 19 seconds after the Falcon 9 booster lifted off from Cape Canaveral, one of the nine Merlin engines that power the rocket "lost pressure suddenly," the company disclosed Monday.

The rocket "did exactly what it was designed to do," as its flight computer made adjustments to keep the Dragon headed into the proper orbit, the company said.

Controllers are reviewing flight data in an effort to figure out what happened to the booster rocket, but initial readings indicate that an engine fairing broke apart under stress.

Sunday's launch was the first of a dozen freight runs that SpaceX is slated to make to the station under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA, which plans to turn much of its focus toward exploring deep into the solar system. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden called it "a critical event in space flight."

SpaceX, founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, is looking beyond cargo flights to develop a version of the Dragon that would carry astronauts to the ISS. It's one of three companies, along with Sierra Nevada and aerospace giant Boeing, that NASA has chosen to work on the project.

Within the next few months, Orbital Sciences is expected to fly its own demonstration flight to the space station. Instead of using Cape Canaveral as its launch site, the company's rocket will take off from Wallops Island, off the coast of Virginia. Orbital has a nearly $2 billion contract with NASA for station resupply missions.

In 2008, NASA chose SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle and the Dragon spacecraft to resupply the space station after the space shuttle program was retired.

"The $1.6 billion contract represents a minimum of 12 flights, with an option to order additional missions for a cumulative total contract value of up to $3.1 billion," SpaceX says on its website.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.


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