SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's historic launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center. The said launch pad paved that way for the Apollo mission that sent humans to the moon.
Elon Musk's commercial space flight company completed its resupply mission to the International Space Station. However, the company was a day late after the supposed Feb. 18 launched was moved to Feb. 19 due to a last-minute glitch that prompted the SpaceX team to cancel the original launch schedule.
Despite the delay of the launch, the cargo Dragon capsule successfully docked with the ISS after a two-day journey.
"Today was smooth sailing all the way along," NASA spokesman Rob Navias said in a statement as per GeekWire. "A perfect vehicle for SpaceX, as it arrived right on time."
However, there was a slight problem. The capsule received an incorrect reading, forcing the ship to abort its approach. The cargo ship was supposed to dock last Wednesday, and after a few corrections, it finally did today.
Reports say a GPS error prevented the cargo ship from being captured by the ISS' robotic arm. This caused some alarm since there will be another delivery by a Russian cargo ship due this Friday.
ISS commander NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet assisted the spacecraft during its rendezvous with the space station. Pesquest even posted a selfie after successfully helping the cargo ship secure itself to the ISS.
The Dragon was carrying 5,500 pounds of supplies and scientific package. Equipment meant to be installed outside the ISS are also part of the payload. Other important cargo include infectious MRSA bacteria for testing, stem cells and instruments that will be used for lighting and the ozone layer, according to a report.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship will remain docked to the ISS for a month before its journey back to Earth to bring science and other important payloads.