All of this, developing and testing the Falcon 9 as well as the Dragon cargo capsule, led toward a trip to the International Space Station (ISS). Following the success of prior launches and developments, SpaceX launched its first mission to the station on May 22, 2012.
This time, instead of test payloads made of little more than cosmic paperweights, the Dragon capsule was carrying 545 kilograms (1,200 pounds) of supplies including food, clothing, and orbital experiments. While the launch did carry actual supplies, it was still considered a test of the Falcon 9 and the Dragon capsule. As such, the load was kept relatively light (compared to the capsule’s 3,300 kilogram/7,300-pound carrying capacity).
The Dragon lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 4:33 a.m. on the morning of May 12 and began a days-long approach with the station. In addition to supplies, the capsule also carried the ashes of 308 people through a partnership with post-mortem spaceflight company Celestis. Posthumous passengers included James Doohan (Scotty on the original “Star Trek” series) and astronaut Gordon Cooper, who flew on NASA’s Mercury program. The Dragon capsule spent a couple of days catching up with ISS and slowly approaching before docking. The mission was a success, cementing SpaceX’s ability to make deliveries to the ISS.
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