Cargo-packed Dragon arrives at ISS
SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship arrived on 4 April at the International Space Station (ISS), packed with food, gear and science experiments for the astronauts living in orbit.
‘We have capture confirmed,’ a NASA commentator said, as the space station's robotic arm latched onto the gum-drop shaped spacecraft at 10:40am GMT, at a moment when the spacecraft was over the southern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Over the coming hours, the spacecraft will be brought closer and bolted onto the orbiting outpost. Astronauts will begin unpacking later on 4 April.
The cargo ship is carrying 2,600kgs of food, supplies and science experiments to enable the study of thunderstorms, anti-cancer drugs, and technology to remove debris in orbit.
The mission is the 14th for SpaceX under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to resupply the space station over multiple years.
Both the Dragon cargo vessel and the Falcon 9 booster that launched in on 2 April were flown to space before, marking the second time SpaceX has used a recycled spaceship and rocket to reach the ISS.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Leonardo CEO urges “speed as important as money” as joint ventures progress picks up]()
Leonardo CEO urges “speed as important as money” as joint ventures progress picks up
The company’s Q1 2025 results showed a 20% increase in new orders and a 15% increase in revenue across the business.
-
![Rheinmetall vehicle sales almost double as European companies see continued growth]()
Rheinmetall vehicle sales almost double as European companies see continued growth
Results for Q1 2025 have been strong across the board for many defence companies in Europe with forward-looking statements and predictions for the full year also looking good.
-
![Why is the defence market “exploding exponentially” for autonomous targeting capabilities?]()
Why is the defence market “exploding exponentially” for autonomous targeting capabilities?
Solutions that identify, engage and destroy targets with minimal or no human intervention are becoming critical on tomorrow’s battlefield.
-
![Companies post mostly rosy results but warn of potential dark clouds]()
Companies post mostly rosy results but warn of potential dark clouds
First quarter 2025 results have been dropping for companies in the past week but many of the US results come with a health warning in their forward-looking aspects about the potential impact of actions by the Trump administration.
-
![Spain unveils new multi-billion euro defence investment plan]()
Spain unveils new multi-billion euro defence investment plan
The new plan outlined how Spain would reach 2% of its GDP spend on defence by 2025, with €1.9 billion earmarked for new equipment acquisition with several land, naval and air platforms disclosed to be replaced or upgraded.
