SpaceX’s Dragon Spacecraft With Crew Docking Port Arrives at International Space Station

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft reached the International Space Station Saturday to deliver more than 5K pounds of research supplies and equipment including a new crew docking port.

NASA said Saturday it will work with the Canadian Space Agency to remotely position the International Docking Adapter-3 over the orbiting laboratory’s Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 linked to the Harmony module in preparation for the final installation in mid-August. 

IDA-3 will be the second docking port installed at ISS and will work to provide an automated system designed to monitor crew docking operations at the outpost. 

Dragon also transported scientific equipment to the space station to support several investigations, including the mechanisms of moss in microgravity and effects of microgravity on microglia 3D models.

SpaceX launched the spacecraft Thursday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket as part of its 18th resupply mission with NASA.