SpaceX Dragon: Everything You Need To Know About The Space Capsule That Just Made History (PHOTOS)

Everything You Need To Know About The Space Capsule That Just Made History

Elon Musk's spacecraft manufacturing company SpaceX made history today at 9:56 a.m. ET, when its Dragon capsule was captured by the International Space Station's robotic arm. The vessel berthed at the ISS at 12:12 p.m. ET.

DragonX is the first privately owned space vessel to berth at the International Space Station.

Musk, a co-founder of PayPal, began the SpaceX Dragon capsule project way back in 2005 and developed the craft in four and a half years for about $300 million.

According to SpaceX's site, the Dragon capsule is 20 feet in length, weighs about 9,260 lbs and can carry up to 13,228 lbs to low-earth orbit or up to seven passengers. In December 2008, the project secured $3.1 billion in funding from NASA for a contract of 12 flight missions or more.

Flip through the slideshow below to view more photos of SpaceX's Dragon capsule, then let us know: Are you excited that the capsule finally reached the International Space Station? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

For more stunning images, check out HuffPost Science's live blog of the capsule berthing with the ISS on Friday.

The Dragon Capsule Up-Close

The SpaceX Dragon Capsule

Editor's note: An earlier version incorrectly stated that the DragonX capsule had fully berthed at the station at 9:58 a.m.

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