CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — The SpaceX Dragon capsule has reached the 250-meter hold position, just outside the “keep-out” sphere of the International Space Station.
NASA says that the SpaceX Dragon should resume its approach towards the keep-out sphere and is expected to reach the sphere at 6:16 a.m. EDT.
Mission control Houston and the SpaceX team are evaluating a variety of demonstration milestones, including navigational updates for the Dragon through its LIDAR system and its ability to approach and retreat from its position underneath the station to test its capability to abort at the rendezvous if required.
This will be the first time in space history that a private commercial company has docked with the International Space Station.
06:02:47 AM EDT UPDATE
The SpaceX Dragon capsule has resumed its approach toward the International Space Station from a distance of 250 meters. It will head up to 235 meters, at which point the crew will begin to issue a series of retreat commands, testing the capability to abort at the rendezvous if required. This process will continue until Dragon reaches the 30-meter mark.
Time for the grapple attempt remains approximately 8 a.m.
Fri, 25 May 2012 07:31:08 AM EDT UPDATE
The SpaceX Dragon mission continues to progress smoothly and the capsule has been cleared to enter 200-meter “keep out” sphere around International Space Station. It will hold at 150 meters for additional testing before moving to the next hold point at 30 meters.
Dragon Capture Time Updated
Fri, 25 May 2012 08:05:34 AM EDT
The projected capture time for the SpaceX Dragon capsule by the International Space Station is now 9:10 a.m. EDT.
IMAGE AND VIDEO CREDIT: NASA
Streaming live video by Ustream
