6 months

News Alert April 24, 5:11 a.m. EDT

SpaceX Dragon capsule Endeavour docks with International Space Station Docking marks the completion of the first part of the Endeavour’s mission, delivering four astronauts to the orbiting laboratory 240 miles above Earth. The astronauts, two from the United States, one from France and one from Japan, are expected to remain on the space station for about six months before returning to Earth on the Endeavour. Read more

SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft docked with the International Space Station Saturday at 5:08 a.m. Eastern, nearly 24 hours after lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and two minutes ahead of schedule.

The autonomous spacecraft aligned itself with one of the station’s ports and parked itself in a delicate maneuver watched closely by controllers on the ground and astronauts on board the station. It was expected to take about 15 minutes for the docking sequence to be completed. On board the spacecraft are NASA astronauts Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough, France’s Thomas Pesquet and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide.

The astronauts will check to ensure that the seal is tight and that the pressure between the spacecraft and the station is equalized. Then, at approximately 7:15 a.m. Eastern, they are expected to open the hatch and board the station, where seven other astronauts are waiting to greet them.

A welcome ceremony is expected at about 7:30 a.m.