The Dragon arrived at 17:30 Eastern Time (22:30 BST) and has two vacant seats for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been on the ISS since June.
Wilmore and Williams had originally traveled to the ISS on Boeing’s Starliner for an eight-day mission, but a fault identified during the flight postponed their return. Engineers from NASA and Boeing examined the issue, which included helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, ultimately determining that it was unsafe for the astronauts to return via the Starliner.
The Dragon capsule, which launched from Cape Canaveral on Saturday, also transported NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov to the ISS. Hague and Gorbunov will stay on the space station until they return with Wilmore and Williams in February.
The launch faced initial delays due to Hurricane Helene, which caused extensive damage in the southeastern United States, including Florida.
This mission represents a significant advancement in NASA’s strategy to ensure multiple U.S. options for crewed space travel. In 2014, both Boeing and SpaceX were awarded contracts to transport astronauts to the ISS, valued at $4.2 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively.
Since 2020, SpaceX has played a pivotal role in the space industry, becoming the first private company to send astronauts to the ISS, marking a significant achievement for Elon Musk’s company.