The mission -- the first of 12 planned trips in SpaceX's $1.6 billion contract with US space agency NASA -- is a milestone for American efforts to privatize the space industry, aimed at reducing costs and spreading them among a wider group than governments alone.

The capsule delivered about 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) of cargo to the space station and is taking home 1,670 pounds (758 kilograms) of supplies, hardware and scientific tests and results.

Earlier Sunday, an astronaut aboard the floating laboratory detached and released the capsule using a robotic arm, kicking off its return to Earth.

Owned by billionaire Paypal co-founder Elon Musk, SpaceX is one of several private firms working with the US space agency to send flights to and from the ISS, but SpaceX is the first to become operational.

The next SpaceX flight is scheduled for early January 2013.

NASA has been relying on Russian spacecraft for the last year, after retiring its fleet of shuttles -- but the Soyuz craft does not have room for cargo on the return flight.

SpaceX's May mission -- a nearly flawless nine-day test flight to deliver cargo to the $100 billion orbiting station -- marked the first time a commercial outfit had sent its own capsule there and back.

SpaceX says it has 50 launches planned -- both NASA missions and commercial flights -- representing about $4 billion in contracts.

So far, SpaceX has only sent unmanned flights into orbit, but the company aims to send a manned flight within the next three or four years. It is under a separate contract with NASA to refine the capsule so that it can carry a crew.

NASA also has a $1.9 billion resupply contract for the station with Orbital Sciences Corporation which will run its first test flight in the next few months at a base in Virginia. (AFP)

 

<한글 기사>

美 민간우주화물선 첫비행 성공

미국의 민간우주항공기업이 최초로 국제우주정거장(ISS) 에 쏘아 올린 민간 우주화물선 '드래건(Dragon)'이 첫 비행을 성공적으로 마치고 29일(한국시간) 무사 귀환했다.

민간 우주항공기업 스페이스익스플로레이션테크놀러지스(SpaceX, 이하 스페이스 X)는 드래건이 ISS 보급물자 수송 임무를 무사히 마치고 발사 18일 만인 이날 4시22 분(GMT 28일 19시22분)에 태평양에 착수했다고 밝혔다. 현재 잠수부 1개 팀이 이를 인양 중이다.

내년 임무가 종료되는 미 항공우주국(NASA)의 우주왕복선을 대체하기 위해 개발 된 드래건은 이번 비행에서 음식과 물 등 약 450kg 무게의 화물을 ISS에 전달하고, 758kg의 과학 물질과 하드웨어 등을 싣고 돌아왔다.

스페이스X는 NASA와 맺은 16억달러(약 1조7천억원) 규모의 계약에 따라 드래건을 이용해 ISS에 12회에 걸쳐 보급물자를 보내야 한다.

다음 비행은 내년 1월로 예정돼 있다.