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Their SpaceX capsule undocked from the I nternational Space
Station on Monday and parachuted into the ocean off the Southern
California coast, less than 24 hours later.
The crew of four launched nearly three weeks ago on a flight
chartered by the Houston company Axiom Space.
Axiom's Peggy Whitson, the most experienced U.S. astronaut,
served as commander. Joining her were India's Shubhanshu Shukla,
Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungary's Tibor Kapu,
whose countries paid more than $65 million apiece for the
mission.
“Thanks for the great ride and safe trip,” Whitson radioed
moments after splashdown. Her record now stands at 695 days in
space over five missions, longer than any other American or
woman.
The visiting astronauts conducted dozens of experiments in orbit
while celebrating their heritage. The last time India, Poland
and Hungary put anyone in space was during the late 1970s and
1980s, launching with the Soviets. They waved and smiled as they
emerged from the capsule, one by one, into the early morning
darkness.
It was Axiom’s fourth mission to the orbiting outpost since
2022, part of NASA’s ongoing effort to open up space to more
businesses and people. The company is one of several developing
their own space stations to replace the current one. NASA plans
to abandon the outpost in 2030, after more than 30 years of
operation.
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