By Syed Muhammad Waqar Ali
SpaceX has successfully docked an unmanned astronaut capsule to the International Space Station on 3rd March 2019 10:51 GMT. It was a big test for the SpaceX program, which aims to give NASA a second option for sending astronauts to space.
Dragon is a free-flying spacecraft designed to deliver both cargo and people to orbiting destinations. It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth. Currently Dragon carries cargo to space, but it was designed from the beginning to carry humans.
The capsule, named Dragon, gradually climbed toward the ISS, which is orbiting the Earth at a distance of around 400 kilometers (248 miles) and a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour.
The capsule was only carrying a life-sized dummy named Ripley. NASA plans to test the capsule again in July with two astronauts.
SpaceX is aiming to resume manned spaceflights from US soil after an eight-year break, and provide NASA with a second option to get astronauts to the ISS.
After the shuttle program was shut down in July 2011 following a 30-year run, NASA began outsourcing the logistics of its space missions.
Currently, NASA relies on the Russian space program and its Soyuz spacecraft to shuttle astronauts to the ISS research facility. It pays Russia $82 million (€72 million) per person for a return trip to the ISS.
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