Four astronauts from three different space agencies have safely docked at the the International Space Station
The Dragon capsule was the first SpaceX vehicle used to carry crews which had flown in a previous mission
Before docking, astronauts were warned of possible collision with unidentified piece of debris
NASA spokesperson said that the spacecraft did not have time to perform evasive maneuver
Agency later said that the object was 45 kilometers away and did not pose a threat to the astronauts
New arrivals will spend six months orbiting Earth, the current incumbents will return to the planet Wednesday
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It is the first time two SpaceX crew Dragons have been parked in space at the same time.
Shannon Walker, the space station s commander, said: We are so excited to have you aboard.
Although this was SpaceX s third crew flight for NASA, it was the first to use a vehicle which has flown before, an essential part of Musk s push to the moon and Mars.
The Dragon capsule was also used for SpaceX s first crew launch last May, while the Falcon rocket soaring Friday hoisted crew two in November.
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet of France, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide of Japan of Crew 2 (from left, in black shirts) assemble with Crew 1 for their welcome ceremony
How to Watch Launch of NASA s SpaceX Crew-2 Mission to the ISS gizmodo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gizmodo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SpaceX and NASA entering final preparations for Crew-2 launch
April 1, 2021
With launch now just a few weeks away, SpaceX and NASA have entered final preparations for the second operational Crew Dragon mission. This will be SpaceX’s second long-duration crew rotation for NASA as a part of the Commercial Crew program.
Crew-2 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft from historic LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center on April 22 at 6:11 AM EDT (10:11 UTC). It will also be the first SpaceX crew mission to use flight-proven hardware with Falcon 9 B1061-2 and Crew Dragon
Endeavour C206-2.