The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft made its arrival to the International Space Station on Thursday morning, delivering 5,500 pounds of supplies and science equipment for the astronauts after a one-day delay.
The spaceship was scheduled to arrive Wednesday after taking off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sunday, The Washington Post reported. It was the first time a rocket blasted off from the iconic launching pad since the space shuttle missions ended in 2011.
The space station used its robotic arm to grab the Dragon and complete the docking. That event was delayed a day after the spacecraft's computers recognized that it had the wrong information about the location of the space station, the Post reported.
"With that capture, a Dragon has now officially arrived to ISS," Thomas Pesquet, of the European Space Agency, told NASA's Mission Control center in Houston, according to Space.com. "We're very happy indeed to have it on board and very much looking forward to putting to good use the two-and-a-half tons of science it carries."
CBS News reported that the spacecraft carried 580 pounds of food and clothing, 842 pounds of spare parts and other vehicle hardware, along with more than 1,600 pounds of science gear.
Part of the science gear includes a rodent habitat with 20 mice, part of research to help scientists learn more about what processes govern bone regeneration and healing, CBS News said.
NASA celebrated the Dragon's arrival to the space station on Twitter.
"The hatch between the newly arrived spacecraft and the Harmony module of the space station is scheduled to be opened this afternoon," NASA said in a statement. "The capsule will spend about four weeks attached to the station.
"The Russian Progress 66 was launched on Wednesday, Feb. 22 from Kazakhstan. It will arrive on station Friday morning for an automated docking at 3:34 a.m. EST and remain on the station until June," NASA's statement continued.
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