SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship arrives at International Space Station

New Delhi: SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, carrying the first super-computer to space as part of its 6,400 pound (2,900 kilograms) payload, including a sweet treat- ice cream for the astronauts living in orbit.

According to NASA, astronauts Jack Fischer and Paolo Nespoli captured the Dragon spacecraft at 6:52 a.m. EDT using the station’s robotic arm while ISS was traveling over the Pacific Ocean north of New Zealand. It then will be installed on the station’s Harmony module.

The spaceship blasted off on Monday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying food, science experiments and other gear for the astronauts aboard the space station.

It is the 12th mission for SpaceX under a $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

A key part of the cargo is a sophisticated supercomputer made by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), called The Spaceborne Computer.

Researchers want to see if the computer can survive the harsh conditions of space, and whether it could one day help astronauts navigate long missions in deep space, whether around the Moon or to Mars.

(With Agency inputs)