The first flight to the International Space Station by a commercial vehicle should take place in November this year.

Private spaceflight company SpaceX said this week that NASA had given it a 30 November date to launch the Dragon capsule for a mission to the ISS.

The capsule will be carried into space by the company’s Falcon 9 rocket, which could be a godsend to those trying to access space – and space stations – in the post-shuttle era. NASA has already committed millions of dollars to helping SpaceX turn the Dragon capsule into something that can carry astronauts as well as cargo.