The first private U.S. cargo spacecraft, the Dragon, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, Mission Control said.
The linkup operation was carried out with the help of the giant 17-meter Canadarm that had earlier grabbed the Dragon capsule.
The Dragon spacecraft was launched on Tuesday to the International Space Station (ISS) from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in the United States.
The Dragon is a reusable spacecraft developed by SpaceX to fly cargo to the ISS after NASA retired its space shuttle fleet last year.
The firm also hopes in the future to carry U.S. astronauts to and from the orbital station.
At present, NASA pays Russia a hefty $63 million for each astronaut who flies to the ISS aboard Soyuz spacecraft.