A little while ago the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft was captured by the robotic arm Canadarm2 on the International Space Station. Tim Peake, assisted by his fellow astronaut Jeff Williams, managed the operation and started moving the Dragon to the berthing point at the Harmony module. The spacecraft was launched last Friday and arrived a little more than 20 minutes later than scheduled because it was slowed down by atmosphere drag but eventually the first leg of its mission was accomplished.

The approach of the Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station follows a procedure that has become routine but remains long and delicate. The Station’s safety is the top priority so every little step of the Dragon gets checked. Only if all goes well in the spacecraft’s position and velocity they proceed with the next step and in case of any problems can be aborted at every step.

Tomorrow the crew of the International Space Station will open the Dragon spacecraft’s hatch and will start unloading its cargo. The Dragon will remain docked with the Station for a little more than a month. A series of experiments and other items to be brought back to Earth will be loaded on it, which is the only cargo spacecraft able to return to Earth intact.

With the arrival of the Dragon, both American cargo spacecraft are docked with the International Space Station because the Orbital ATK Cygnus space cargo ship arrived at the end of March. It’s the first time that this happens and the crew’s work schedule is particularly intense because last week the Russian Progress MS-2 cargo spacecraft arrived too.

The Dragon will leave the International Space Station with a total cargo of nearly 1,600 kg (3,500 lbs). The CRS-8 mission will be completed with its descent into the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. It’s important because various in-depth sample analyzes can only be performed in specialized laboratories on Earth only.

For SpaceX, a success in sending the Dragon to the International Space Station was already a crucial moment to resume what seemed to have become a routine before the CRS-7 mission failure. The mishaps with various cargo spacecraft occurred between 2014 and 2015 reminded us in the hardest way that space missions are still full of risks and despite all the controls something can always go wrong. SpaceX staff managed to overcome those difficulties. Ad astra, per aspera.