Two Saudis and two Americans, members of a private space mission, returned to Earth early this Wednesday (31), after spending ten days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The SpaceX capsule that was carrying them landed in the waters of the state of Florida, southeastern United States, ending the Ax-2 mission of the American company Axiom Space.
Rayana Barnawi, a scientist who became the first Saudi woman to travel into space, and Ali al Qarni, a trained combat pilot, were the first two Saudi nationals to remain aboard the ISS. They were promoted by the Saudi government.
Also part of the crew were American businessman John Shoffner and mission commander Peggy Whitson, a former American Space Agency (NASA) astronaut who was on the ISS for the fourth time.
“Welcome back to Earth!” tweeted NASA Director Bill Nelson.
“It was an incredible journey for the Ax-2 private astronaut crew. They did crucial science experiments and brought the wonders of space closer to all of us,” he added.
The four astronauts took off from Florida on May 21 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, owned by tycoon Elon Musk. During their mission, they circled Earth 126 times, according to a statement from Axiom Space.
It was the company’s second mission to the space station, following a first in April 2022.
For Axiom Space, these missions are a first step towards a more ambitious goal: the construction of its own space station, whose first module will be launched at the end of 2025.
The structure will first be docked to the ISS and then detached to operate independently. NASA plans to retire the ISS around 2030. In its place, it will send its astronauts to private stations, which will also host other customers.
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