When it gets to the station, Kepler will dock with the Russian Zvezda module on the rear of the orbiting platform.

BBC: 'Johannes Kepler' space freighter heads to station

President Obama declined to keep the shuttles going, canceled the planned replacement platform for manned space flight and thereby condemned this country for the foreseeable future to reliance on Russian and perhaps, in due course, Chinese rockets to deliver our astronauts to the space station.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Obama's Legacy