SpaceX Sends Docking Ring to Spa

FILE - A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rests on its pad as it is prepared for launch at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on the launcher's first mission since a June failure in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Dec. 20, 2015.
资料图片 - 2015年12月20日，佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角空军基地，在经历了六月份第一次发射任务的失败后，一枚 SpaceX Falcon 9 火箭被放置在发射台上，等候发射。

Under a bright moonlit sky, SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket laden with supplies for the International Space Station early Monday.
在明亮的月光下， SpaceX 于周一早间向国际空间站发射了其 Falcon 9 火箭来运送物资。

Just a few minutes after Monday's liftoff from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, the rocket's main section separated, turned around and softly landed upright on the ground a few kilometers from the launch site.
就在周一从卡纳维拉尔角空军基地起飞几分钟后，火箭的主要部分进行了分离、转向，最后在距离发射现场几公里处直立地进行了软着陆。

Among its cargo, the rocket is carrying one of two docking rings to the International Space Station, a crucial step in enabling U.S. commercial space taxis to ferry astronauts to the orbiting lab.
在其运送的所有物资当中，火箭此次向国际空间站运送了两台对接环中的一台，这是使美国商用太空飞船有能力向空间站运送宇航员的重要一步。

After the metal docking ring attaches to a berthing port on the station, it will serve as a parking space for commercial spaceships under development by SpaceX and Boeing. The manned craft are scheduled to begin test flights next year.
在这个金属对接环被安装在空间站的停泊口之后，它将为 SpaceX 和 Boeing 制造的商业飞船提供停靠空间。这些载人飞船预计于明年开始试飞。

Last year, a SpaceX rocket carrying one of these rings broke apart shortly after liftoff.
去年，一枚搭载了其中一个对接环的 SpaceX 火箭在起飞后不久就解体了。

SpaceX has pulled off vertical landings of leftover boosters four times since December. The company hopes to launch its first recycled rocket later this year.
自去年十二月以来， SpaceX 已经四次成功地使发射助推器完成了竖直降落。该公司希望在今年晚些时候，首次使用回收的火箭进行发射。