CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts closed in Monday on the International Space Station, their new home until spring.
The Dragon capsule was due at the orbiting lab late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
This is the second astronaut mission for SpaceX. But it’s the first time Elon Musk’s company is delivering a crew for a full half-year station stay.
The two-pilot test flight earlier this year lasted two months. The three Americans and one Japanese astronaut will remain at the orbiting lab until their replacements arrive on another Dragon in April.