The first all-European private astronaut mission returned to Earth after spending extra days in space due to stormy weather near Florida.
Originally scheduled to return on Saturday, the crew finally separated from the International Space Station on Wednesday and splashed down off the Florida coast around 8:30 a.m. EST.
“We hope you had a wonderful time on station, and we’re looking forward to seeing your smiling faces,” SpaceX ground control said.
Welcome back to Earth, #Ax3 Crew: @CommanderMLA, @WalterVilladei, @TURKastro, and @astro_marcus. Today, the Dragon spacecraft successfully splashed down, marking the end of their successful mission to the International Space Station. pic.twitter.com/vqaeyOmT87
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) February 9, 2024
SpaceX retrieved the Crew Dragon spacecraft after days of weather delays.
During their time in orbit, the crew conducted over 30 experiments, including biomedical research, sleep studies, and cooking pasta in space.
The mission marked the first all-European human spaceflight to the ISS and the second Axiom Space mission for López-AlegrÃa, the company’s chief astronaut.
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