SpaceX Pulls Successful 'Fly-By' of Space Station

Dragon capsule comes within 1.5 miles in anticipation of docking
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 24, 2012 10:03 AM CDT
SpaceX Pulls Successful 'Fly-By' of Space Station
The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket lifts off from space launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., early Tuesday, May 22, 2012.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)

So far, so good for SpaceX: Its Dragon capsule came within 1.5 miles of the International Space Station today, in preparation for docking with it tomorrow. The fly-by, performed as the capsule orbited Earth at around 17,000mph, was confirmed by NASA, the Los Angeles Times reports. Now, tests will be done to determine if the Dragon is ready to dock. If it is, the Dragon will be pulled in tomorrow morning; if that is successful, SpaceX will become the first private firm to dock a craft at the ISS.

An astronaut did tell NASA mission control today that he was having problems with the space station's cameras and monitors, which will be important to the docking; those issues are expected to be discussed today. (More SpaceX stories.)

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