NASA Gives SpaceX Go Ahead for ISS Rendezvous

NASA also has agreed to allow SpaceX to send its Dragon spacecraft to rendezvous with the International Space Station. According to SFScope.com NASA has also set a date for a second Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) demonstration flight.

• Pending completion of final safety reviews, testing and verification will be February 7, 2012.

The objectives of the Dragon module's ISS flight are:

• fly-by of the space station at a distance of approximately two miles
• demonstrate the capability to abort the rendezvous

Dragon will then perform a close approach at which time the crew will use the station's robotic arm to capture Dragon and berth it to the Earth-facing side of the Harmony node. Mission completed the crew reverses the procedure and Dragon returns to Earth and splashdown in the Pacific off the coast of California.

SFScope link here