US astronauts disembark SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and board the International Space Station

Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley have successfully disembarked the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule and entered the International Space Station.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the space station at 10:16 a.m. ET Sunday morning after launching from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center Saturday and traveling 19 hours. After making initial contact with the ISS, Crew Dragon went through a series of steps to further mate the spacecraft with its port — including linking power and creating an air-locked seal — before the first of two hatches were opened.

Behnken and Hurley are expected to remain on board the space station for one to three months, or for a maximum of 110 days.

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On Sunday morning, the spacecraft made a careful approach to the space station and then made a “soft capture” — meaning Crew Dragon made its first physical contact with its docking port at the International Space Station. Crew Dragon then made a “hard capture,” which involved using 12 latches to create an air-locked seal between Behnken and Hurley’s crew cabin and their entrance to the space station and linked up Crew Dragon’s power supply to the ISS.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, splashes down into the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, August 2.

Hurley, left, and Behnken, second from right, ride in a helicopter after returning from space.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft is lifted onto a recovery ship shortly after splashdown.

Behnken and Hurley give a thumbs-up before being extracted from the Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Boats swarm around the Crew Dragon shortly after splashdown. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said during a news conference that the Coast Guard was supposed to keep a large swath of ocean around the landing site clear but that some boats made a "beeline" for the capsule. In a statement on August 2, the Coast Guard said, "With limited assets available and with no formal authority to establish zones that would stop boaters from entering the area, numerous boaters ignored the Coast Guard crews' requests and decided to encroach the area, putting themselves and those involved in the operation in potential danger."

Hurley and Behnken prepare to undock from the International Space Station on Saturday, August 1.

NASA tweeted this photo of Behnken and Hurley on Friday, July 30.

"If the weather at our splashdown location is right, next week at this time @SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour will no longer be docked to the front of @Space_Station," Behnken tweeted on Wednesday, July 29. "My family is excited!"

Hurley tweeted this photo of Behnken and Chris Cassidy on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on July 21.

Hurley, left, and Behnken brief mission control on June 1.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft approaches the International Space Station on May 31.

Spectators watch the SpaceX launch from a bridge in Titusville, Florida, on May 30.

Huge crowds gathered to watch the launch from Titusville, across from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The spacecraft heads toward the International Space Station on May 30.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event at Kennedy Space Center after the launch.

An American flag flies as the SpaceX rocket lifts off on May 30.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk celebrates after the successful launch.

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, join President Trump as they watch the launch on May 30.

People watch the launch from a beach in Cape Canaveral.

Monitors are seen in the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center.

Liftoff occurred just after 3:20 p.m. on May 30.

Hurley says goodbye to his wife and son before the launch on May 30.

Trump and Pence arrive at Kennedy Space Center on May 30.

Hurley and Behnken walk out of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on May 30.

This was the scene moments before NASA scrubbed a launch on May 27. It was postponed due to bad weather.

Trump and his wife, Melania, tour the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Facility on May 27.

The Trumps exit Air Force One as they arrive at Kennedy Space Center on May 27.

Hurley and Behnken ride a Tesla SUV on their way to the launch pad before the cancellation on May 27.

Hurley and Behnken say goodbye to family members ahead of the planned launch on May 27.

Storm clouds pass over NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on May 27.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk wears a face mask while standing near Vice President Mike Pence.

Hurley and Behnken walk out of the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building.

Spectators look out from a hotel balcony in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on May 27.

Hurley and Behnken prepare to place mission stickers on the windshields of their Tesla vehicles.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Crew Dragon spacecraft on top, sits on Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

Spectators wait at a park in Titusville early on May 27.

In pictures: SpaceX's historic mission

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Behnken and Hurley emerged, smiling, from the capsule around 1:15 pm ET. They were greeted by fellow NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner, who were already on board the orbiting laboratory.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called the station from the space agency’s mission control center in Houston, Texas.

“We are so, so proud of everything you’ve done for our country, and in fact, to inspire the world,” Bridenstine said.

When asked about their 19-hour journey to the space station, Hurley said he “couldn’t be happier” about the performance of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

The astronauts were able to sleep for a few hours, share meals and use the on board toilet during their journey. “The Dragon was a slick vehicle, and we had good airflow, so we had an excellent, excellent evening,” Hurley said.

Crew Dragon has a name: Endeavour

Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley gave a tour of their Crew Dragon spacecraft using onboard cameras while the vehicle was making its way toward the International Space Station on Saturday evening.

And they announced a name for the vehicle: Endeavour.

The astronauts picked that name for a few reasons, Hurley said on NASA and SpaceX’s webcast. On one hand, the name honors the years-long endeavor that was returning human spaceflight to the United States after the Space Shuttle retired in 2011. And it honors the longtime friendship that Hurley and Behnken have shared, and their histories with NASA: Both astronauts began their spaceflight careers with missions aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. (That vehicle’s namesake was an 18th century ship commanded by British explorer James Cook — hence the British spelling of “Endeavour.”)

Special cargo: A glittery dinosaur

NASA and SpaceX already revealed that a couple of special artworks were aboard Crew Dragon with the astronauts. But livestream viewers spotted a small, sparkly dinosaur toy on board with Hurley and Behnken as well.

NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley, left, and Robert Behnken ride a Tesla SUV from the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building on their way to Pad 39-A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, May 27, 2020.(John Raoux/AP)

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During their update from orbit on Saturday, the astronauts shared what that was all about: They both have young sons who are big fans of dinosaurs, and the astronauts allowed their kids to vote on which of their toys would be stowed away on this mission.

The selection was a blue and pink, sequin-studded Apatosaurus.

What this milestone means

Crew Dragon and the astronauts have now made it through two major milestones — launch and docking — without encountering any major issues. That’s a huge win for SpaceX, which has been working toward this moment since the company was founded in 2002.

It’s also a point of celebration for NASA, which made the controversial decision to ask the private sector to design vehicles for transportation to the ISS after the Space Shuttle program retired in 2011. NASA has long partnered with the private sector, but it had never before handed over design, development and testing of a human-rated spacecraft to a commercial company.

After delays, development hiccups and some political roadblocks, a successful first launch of astronauts will mark a huge win for folks within the space agency who hope to continue using more extensive commercial contracts. That includes for NASA’s ambitions to put people on the moon in 2024.