--- title: "Dock a SpaceX Spacecraft to the ISS in This Amazing Simulator" description: "SpaceX has launched a browser-based simulator that allows you to take over the controls of a Crew Dragon spacecraft and dock it to the Space Station." date: "2020-05-12" modified: "2020-05-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/dock-spacex-spacecraft-iss-simulator" categories: - "International Space Station" - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "crew dragon" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" --- # Dock a SpaceX Spacecraft to the ISS in This Amazing Simulator ![SpaceX has launched a browser-based simulator that allows you to take over the controls of a Crew Dragon spacecraft and dock it to the Space Station.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* Elon Musk-led space company SpaceX has launched a browser-based simulator that allows you to take over the controls of a Crew Dragon spacecraft and dock it to the International Space Station. To give it a shot, [click here](). Fair warning, it's not easy maintaining a good trajectory. But NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine apparently nailed it on his first try using SpaceX's full-scale docking simulator last year, he claimed in [a tweet](). The controls in the browser simulator aren't far off from the real Crew Dragon, according to SpaceX. The company says the game uses the "controls of the actual interface" in a [notice]() displayed before starting the simulation. https://youtu.be/MdJDBHzJF8E In reality, Crew Dragon capsules are capable of [autonomous docking]() — as demonstrated during the company's successful uncrewed test flight last year — but astronauts are able to take over manual control at any point if necessary. The game debuted [mere weeks]() before SpaceX is planning to launch the first crewed Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station. "The flying task is very unique: To come close to the space station and fly in proximity, then slowly come into contact, is maybe a little bit different from what you would see for flying a space shuttle or an aircraft," NASA astronaut Bob Behnken [told *TechCrunch*]() last week, referring to the Crew Dragon's futuristic interface. "Of course, you know, growing up as a pilot my whole career, having a certain way to control the vehicle, this is certainly different," Behnken added. Alongside fellow astronaut Dough Hurley, Behnken will be on board the Dragon capsule during the first crewed test flight later this month. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX simulator shows you what it’s actually like to dock Crew Dragon with the Space Station]() \[*TechCrunch*\] **More on Crew Dragon:** *[SPACEX IS OFFICIALLY SENDING ASTRONAUTS TO SPACE NEXT MONTH]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()