SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully docks with International Space Station

An international team of four astronauts aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked Saturday with the orbiting International Space Station (ISS).

Crew-11 mission astronauts wave as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building en route to launch complex LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Friday.
Crew-11 mission astronauts wave as they depart the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building en route to launch complex LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Friday.  © Gregg Newton / AFP

"Docking confirmed!" SpaceX posted on social media, along with a video showing the spacecraft making contact with the ISS at 2:27 AM Eastern Time (0627 GMT), far above the southeast Pacific Ocean.

American astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, Japan's Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov are joining the ISS on a six-month mission.

They lifted off Friday morning from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, their capsule mounted on a Falcon 9 rocket.

US Energy Department misrepresents climate science in "really chilling" new report
Environment and Climate US Energy Department misrepresents climate science in "really chilling" new report
NASA and SpaceX launch international crew for ISS research expedition!
Space Travel NASA and SpaceX launch international crew for ISS research expedition!

It is the 11th crew rotation mission to the ISS under NASA's Commercial Crew Program, created to succeed the Space Shuttle era by partnering with private industry.

"We have cold drinks, hot food, and us waiting – see you soon," the ISS crew told the new arrivals shortly after contact, according to the posted video.

"Hello Space Station – Crew 11 is here and we are super excited to join," Fincke replied.

Cover photo: Gregg Newton / AFP

More on Space Travel: