The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked at the International Space Station early Friday morning, making the Hawthorne-based company's spacecraft the first private craft to deliver cargo to the station.
Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX, is based in Hawthorne.
Moments after capture was confirmed just before 7 a.m. PT, a loud cheer could be heard on the mission control broadcast. The unmanned capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Tuesday.
"You've made a lot of folks happy down here over in Hawthorne," a member of the mission team said after the capture.
"Looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail," came the response from space.
On Thursday, the capsule flew within one mile of the space station and performed a practice lap to check out its communication and navigation systems.
"I think we're really at the dawn of a new era of space exploration and one where there's a much bigger role for commercial space companies," said SpaceX CEO and Founder Elon Musk, who also co-founded PayPal.
"The President just called to say congrats. Caller ID was blocked, so at first I thought it was a telemarketer," Musk tweeted Wednesday night.
By early Friday morning, the capsule was within 32 feet of the space station. Astronauts then used the station's robotic arm to guide and attach the capsule, which is carrying 1,000 pounds of cargo including food, water and clothing.
Dragon will remain at the space station for nearly a week. It will be freed next Thursday to return to Earth with a load of experiments.
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