Dragon is berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module (Credit: ESA/NASA)

Dragon is berthed to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony module (Credit: ESA/NASA)

In his latest blog entry André Kuipers describes how he and his Expedition 31 crewmate Don Pettit operated the Station’s robotic arm to first capture and then berth the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. A highlight of André’s PromISSe mission and an important milestone for spaceflight.

André writes: “Last Friday was a special day on my mission. Don and I docked the SpaceX’s cargoship Dragon to the Space Station. Dragon brings new equipment for the crew. On the 31st of May it will return to Earth with supplies from the others and myself. The Dragon mission is the operational highlight of my mission. But it is also a milestone for international spaceflight. This is the first time that a commercial spacecraft has flown to the ISS and docked with the Station. You could say a new era of spaceflight has begun. Soon private companies will take people to and from space.”

Read more in André’s blog: ‘Dragon attached to ISS, a milestone for spaceflight’