CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A private spaceflight carrying astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary concluded on Tuesday with a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, marking the first time in more than four decades that astronauts from these countries have traveled to space.
The SpaceX capsule, which had undocked from the International Space Station on Monday, parachuted into the waters off the coast of Southern California less than 24 hours later.
The mission, chartered by Houston-based Axiom Space, launched nearly three weeks ago. It was the company’s fourth trip to the orbiting outpost since 2022 and part of NASA’s broader initiative to expand private sector participation in space exploration.
Commanding the mission was Peggy Whitson, Axiom’s veteran astronaut and the most experienced U.S. spacefarer. She was joined by India’s Shubhanshu Shukla, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu. Each country reportedly paid over $65 million for its astronauts’ participation in the flight.
“Thanks for the great ride and safe trip,” Whitson said via radio moments after the capsule landed. Her cumulative time in space now stands at 695 days across five missions — more than any other American or woman.
During their stay aboard the ISS, the international crew conducted dozens of scientific experiments while also celebrating their respective national heritages. It was the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary had entered space since the Soviet-led missions of the 1970s and 1980s.
Footage from the recovery showed the crew smiling and waving as they exited the capsule in the pre-dawn hours.
Axiom Space is among several private companies working to develop commercial space stations as NASA prepares to retire the International Space Station in 2030, after more than three decades of continuous operation.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- EDGARDO HERNAL
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