Feb. 9 (UPI) — The four-astronaut Axiom 3 crew safely splashed down off the eastern coast of Florida Friday morning, completing a journey back from the International Space Station for a private mission.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean at 8:30 a.m. EST, the company confirmed in a video statement on X.
The #Ax3 crew has safely reached the recovery ship. #Ax3 is returning with a plethora of completed research data and having executed multiple international outreach engagements. pic.twitter.com/Gwhm5r0VBn— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) February 9, 2024
Unfavorable weather in the potential landing zone delayed the crew’s return to Earth by four days. The spacecraft Freedom was initially scheduled to depart from the ISS on Feb. 3.
Astronauts Michael López-Alegría, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, and Alper Gezeravci began their journey back from the ISS on Wednesday.
“Flying SpaceX was our pleasure,” the mission commander and former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria said over the radio after the capsule safely landed in the water.
“All four crewmembers are feeling well.”
With the successful mission, López-Alegría became the only person ever to have ridden a SpaceX Dragon into orbit twice.
The private mission for Axiom Space delivered more than 550 pounds of science supplies, NASA experiments and hardware over the course of the 18-day space expedition.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Axiom 3 mission lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 18, becoming the third private industry manned flight to the ISS.
At three weeks in length, the mission now holds the record for the longest private flight for Axiom Space by SpaceX since it began conducting missions in 2022.
The all-European crew also conducted 30 experiments while on-board the ISS, including physics and space medicine work.
