MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2023) The crew of the Axiom Mission-2 (Ax-2), the second all-private space mission to the International Space Station (ISS), has safely splashed down off the coast of Florida, Axiom Space said on Tuesday.
"The Ax-2 crew aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft safely splashed down off the coast of Florida at 11:04 p.m. EDT on May 30, 2023 (03:04 GMT on Wednesday). The crew's return officially concludes the second all-private astronaut mission to the International Space Station," the company said on the website.
The crew spent eight days aboard the ISS and conducted over 20 scientific experiments to "better understand the impacts of microgravity on the human body, as well as established methods for the utility of novel technologies that could be used for future human spaceflight pursuits and improving life on Earth."
"The Ax-2 mission made history on many fronts. Ax-2 was the first commercial mission with both private and government-sponsored astronauts. Peggy Whitson is now the first female commander of a private space mission, adding to her accomplishment as the first female commander of the ISS and standing record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut (674 days). Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi are the first Saudi astronauts to visit the ISS and Rayyanah Barnawi is the first Saudi female to go to space. In addition, John Shoffner became the first person from the U.S. state of Alaska to fly to space," the statement read.
The crew docked the ISS on May 23.
The first Axiom Space crewed mission (Ax-1) was launched in April 2022.
