SpaceX supply pod docks at ISS

The unmanned Dragon spacecraft of the private organization SpaceX has successfully arrived at the International Space Station. The capsule is attached to the Harmony capsule and carries goods such as Christmas gifts to the astronauts on the ISS.

The Dragon arrived at the space station on Monday and the ISS robotic arm managed to grab the capsule. The successful mission follows an earlier postponement in December. Initially, an unmanned resupply spacecraft from the company Orbital Sciences was supposed to deliver supplies to the six astronauts on the ISS, but that launch failed in October and ended in a crash.

The astronauts were running out of rations as the time passed. They will still have to wait another day for the hatch between the Dragon and the Harmony module to open and access the groceries and scientific equipment. The Dragon will remain docked at the ISS for four weeks. New supplies will follow later this year, including from Russian capsules.