Ax-3 Commercial Astronauts Splash Down after 18 Days Aboard ISS

The mission was the first commercial spaceflight of government and European Space Agency-sponsored national astronauts.

Friday, February 09, 2024 at 02:01 PM ET

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A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the Ax-3 crew splashes down off the coast of Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday. [Courtesy: Axiom Space]

Key Takeaways:

Axiom Space's Ax-3 mission successfully concluded with the safe return of four private astronauts to Earth after an 18-day stay on the International Space Station.
The mission marked Axiom Space's third crewed flight to the ISS and was notable as the first commercial spaceflight to include government and European Space Agency-sponsored national astronauts.
During their time on the ISS, the crew performed over 30 experiments and more than 50 educational engagements, contributing to commercial space exploration and Axiom Space's future plans for its own commercial space station.

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Axiom Space’s crew of four private astronauts returned to Earth on Friday, safely splashing down off the coast of Florida after an 18-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS).

The Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) crew initially launched aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 18. On Wednesday, the spacecraft undocked from the ISS and then splashed down off the coast of Daytona Beach, Florida, around 8:30 a.m. EST Friday.