SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule swaps docking ports on space station

[Judi Lynn]

April 5, 2021 Stephen Clark



The Crew Dragon “Resilience” spacecraft closes in for docking Monday at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA TV/Spaceflight Now


In the home stretch of nearly a half-year on the International Space Station, four astronauts suited up and rode their SpaceX-owned Crew Dragon “Resilience” spaceship to a new docking port outside the orbiting research lab Monday, a first-of-its kind maneuver for the new generation of commercial crew spaceships.

The maneuver clears the way for arrival of the next SpaceX Crew Dragon mission at the space station later this month, and sets up for the docking of a Dragon cargo freighter in June carrying a new pair of solar arrays to upgrade the outpost’s power system.

Commander Mike Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Soichi Noguchi and Shannon Walker suited up in their SpaceX-made pressure garments and boarded their Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft early Monday. All four astronauts were aboard the Crew Dragon, which also serves as their lifeboat, for the relocation maneuver in case problems prevented the spacecraft from reconnecting with the space station, forcing an early return to Earth.

After closing hatches between their capsule and the space station, the astronauts configured their cockpit displays as ground teams gave a final “go” for the relocation maneuver.

More:
https://spaceflightnow.com/2021/04/05/spacexs-crew-dragon-capsule-swaps-docking-ports-on-international-space-station/