SpaceX Nasa Mission: Astronaut capsule docks with space station

US astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken have docked with the International Space Station (ISS).

Their Dragon capsule - supplied and operated by the private SpaceX company - edged them into port on the high-flying lab's bow section.

The men will have to wait for leak and pressure checks to be completed before they can disembark and join the Russian and American crew already on the ISS.

Hurley and Behnken launched from Florida on Saturday.

It was the first time since the retirement of the shuttles nine years ago that the US space agency has sent up astronauts from home soil.

The mission marks the beginning of a new era in which Nasa will be purchasing transport services from the commercial sector. No more will it own and operate the vehicles that run to and from the station.

This will be done, as in this case, by firms like California's SpaceX outfit, which is led by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Confirmation of the Dragon's attachment at the ISS came at 14:16 GMT (15:16 BST), slightly ahead of schedule, 422km (262 miles) above the border between northern China and Mongolia.

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source: BBC