A little while ago, SpaceX’s Dragon 2 spacecraft docked with the International Space Station’s Harmony module completing the first part of its CRS-30 mission. Astronauts Loral O’Hara and her colleague Mike Barratt monitored the operation but the cargo spacecraft, which blasted off when it was Thursday afternoon in the USA, completed the maneuvers automatically without any problem.
A few hours ago, the SpaceX Dragon 2 spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in its CRS-30 (Cargo Resupply Service 30) mission, also referred to as SPX-30. After almost exactly 12 minutes it separated successfully from the rocket’s last stage and went en route. This is the 30th mission for the Dragon/Dragon 2 spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station with various cargoes and then return to Earth, again with various cargoes.
A few hours ago, the Progress MS-26 spacecraft blasted off atop a Soyuz-2.1a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After about nine minutes it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and was placed on its route. The cargo spacecraft began its resupply mission to the International Space Station also called Progress 87 or 87P. In this mission, the route used is the one that requires about two days.
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, launched last Tuesday, January 30, has just reached the International Space Station and was captured by the Canadarm2 robotic arm. Astronaut Loral O’Hara, assisted by his colleague Jasmin Moghbeli, will soon begin the slow maneuver to move the Cygnus until it docks with the Station’s Unity module after about two hours.
