Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docks with ISS
April 24, 2021, 9:06 am

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docks with ISS

This screen grab taken from the NASA live feed shows the SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft at 20 meters of the docking access of the International Space Station on April 24. (AFP)

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour docked with the International Space Station (ISS) early Saturday, a livestream showed. SpaceX

Soft capture -- the first phase of docking -- occurred at 5:08 am Eastern time (0908 GMT), 264 miles (424 kilometers) over the south Indian Ocean.

Hard capture, the second stage, occurred about 10 minutes later, when 12 hooks were securely attached between Endeavour and the ISS’s forward port.

“Hard capture complete, welcome Crew-2,” said US astronaut Shannon Walker, current commander of the ISS.

“Thanks Shannon, we’re glad to be here, we’ll see you all in a few minutes,” replied Endeavour’s commander, US astronaut Shane Kimbrough.

The vestibule between the capsule is now being pressurized so that the hatches of both Endeavour and the space station can be opened.

The hatches should be opened around 7:15 am (1115 GMT), with a welcoming ceremony to follow at 7:45 am. SpaceX

The Crew-2 mission, which includes the first European, Thomas Pesquet of France, blasted off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida before dawn on Friday.

Endeavour is carrying the third crew sent to the ISS by SpaceX, as part of the company’s multibillion dollar contract with NASA.

It’s also Endeavour’s second trip to the ISS.

It first flew there on the Demo-2 mission in May 2020, which ended almost a decade of US reliance on Russia for rides to the ISS following the end of the Space Shuttle program. SpaceX

source: AFP

Image source: AFP

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”