“But it worked,” Mr. Musk said of Crew Dragon. “We still haven't launched anyone yet, but hopefully, we will later this year,” Mr. Musk said. Instead of developing and operating its own replacement for the space shuttles, NASA has instead turned to private companies to provide that service. The capsule is to arrive at the space station on Sunday, about 27 hours after launch. Unlike earlier SpaceX missions that took cargo to the space station, which approached from below and was then grabbed by the station’s robotic arm, the Crew Dragon capsule will approach from the front and autonomously dock.

Source: New York Times March 02, 2019 03:00 UTC