SpaceX resupply ship reaches space station

The SpaceX Dragon delivered food, clothing, equipment and science experiments to the International Space Station on Monday. (Reuters)

About 5,000 pounds of much-needed supplies, from groceries to scientific experiments, reached the International Space Station early Monday, after months of delays, including a failed launch in October that exploded shortly after taking off.

SpaceXs Dragon capsule docked at the space station, where it will remain for about a month before returning to Earth, two days after blasting off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. Astronauts aboard the space station were eager for the haul, since they had been getting low on supplies. Apparently, their cupboard had run out of mustard.

Were excited to have it on board, station commander Butch Wilmore said according to reports. Well be digging in soon.

The station was supposed to be resupplied in the fall. But an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket that was to ferry a load exploded in October. SpaceX, Elon Musks start-up space company, was scheduled to run a resupply mission in December, but that was postponed because of technical issues until Saturdays successful launch.

SpaceX was also assessing data from an audacious attempt to land the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. The rocket hit the barge, Musk said, but landed hard and broke into pieces.

While the attempt was unsuccessful, it was a major coup to be able to hit the barge from such a great distance, industry officials said. And Musk said the company would try again. Creating reusable rockets -- which are typically discarded after each launch -- would be a major breakthrough in space flight by helping to make it far more affordable.

The company has flown five of the 12 resupply missions under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

Christian Davenport covers federal contracting for The Post's Financial desk. He joined The Post in 2000 and has served as an editor on the Metro desk and as a reporter covering military affairs. He is the author of "As You Were: To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard."

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SpaceX resupply ship reaches space station