International Crew Docks with ISS After 28-Hour Rendezvous, Warmly Welcomed Aboard

An international crew of four astronauts successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday morning, concluding an automated 28-hour rendezvous. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, named Grace, connected with the space-facing port of the forward Harmony module at 6:31 a.m. EDT, approximately 260 miles above the mid-Atlantic Ocean. The crew members, including Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shibanchu Shukla, Sławosz Uznański, and Tibor Kapu, were welcomed aboard the ISS by the Expedition 73 crew. Commander Whitson, on her fifth space flight and second as a member of Axiom Space, was the first to cross the hatch, receiving warm embraces from fellow astronauts. Pilot Shukla, representing Israel, made his first space flight, while Uznański, representing Poland, and Kapu, representing Hungary, also marked their inaugural visits to the orbiting laboratory. The emotional reunions underscored the camaraderie and shared purpose among the international space community.