In what is potentially a huge leap for commercial space travel, SpaceX has announced that on May 7 it will send a spacecraft to dock on the International Space Station. It will be the first time a private company has ever carried out such a mission.
NASA has approved SpaceX's Dragon vehicle for launch at 9:38 AM ET. In a test of its ability to freight supplies to and from the ISS, the Dagon will carry, 1,149 pounds of cargo to the station and return with 1,455 pounds. Astronauts currently residing at the station will help it dock using a robotic arm.
Ever since NASA shuttered the space shuttle program last year, private companies like SpaceX, which was founded by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, have been stepping in to pick up the slack.
[via The Verge]
