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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (October 10, 2012)--The SpaceX commercial supply ship the Dragon reached the International Space Station Wednesday morning after a 2½-day flight from Cape Canaveral.
The station crew used a robot arm to grab the SpaceX vessel.
It's the first official delivery by the California-based SpaceX company under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA that calls for 12 such shipments.
The capsule is loaded with 1,000 pounds of groceries, clothes, science experiments and other gear, including ice cream for the three station residents.
It will remain at the orbiting lab for nearly three weeks before departing with a full load.
Dragon is the only cargo ship capable of bringing back research and other items, filling a void left by NASA's retired shuttles.
It was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket, tested at the company’s facility in McGregor west of Waco.
