SpaceX Dragon cargo arrives at the International Space Station

The SpaceX unmanned Dragon cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), packed with research and crew supplies and hardware for the orbiting laboratory, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced Wednesday.

“We have capture confirmed,” a NASA commentator said as the space station's robotic arm latched onto the gum-drop shaped spacecraft at 6:40 a.m. EDT (1040 GMT), at a moment when the spacecraft was over the southern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The spacecraft was bolted onto the orbiting outpost at 9:00 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT).

Screenshot of NASA announcing Dragon cargo spacecraft’s successful installation on Twitter

Due to full crew schedules on Wednesday, astronauts will likely begin unpacking the spaceship on Thursday, NASA said.

The cargo ship is carrying 5,800 pounds (approximately 2,600 kilograms) of food, supplies and science equipment to enable the study of thunderstorms, anti-cancer drugs, and technology to remove debris in orbit.

Dragon will remain attached to the ISS until May, when it will return to Earth with more than 3,500 pounds (approximately 1,587 kilograms) of research, hardware and crew supplies, according to NASA.

The mission is the 14th for SpaceX under a 1.6 billion-US-dollars contract with NASA to resupply the space station over multiple years.

Both the Dragon cargo vessel and the Falcon 9 booster that launched in on Monday were flown to space before, marking the second time SpaceX has used a recycled spaceship and rocket to reach the ISS.

Click here to watch the live streaming coverage of the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft being installed at the International Space Station.

(CGTN)