A private space mission carrying astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary—the first from those nations in over four decades—concluded Tuesday with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
The SpaceX capsule, which had detached from the International Space Station on Monday, touched down off the Southern California coast less than a day later, guided by parachutes.
The four-person crew launched nearly three weeks ago on a mission organized by Houston-based Axiom Space. Veteran U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the American record for most time in space, commanded the flight. She was joined by Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary—each representing their countries in orbit for the first time since their Soviet-era missions in the late 20th century. Each nation reportedly paid over $65 million for their participation.
After landing safely, Whitson radioed, “Thanks for the great ride and safe trip,” adding to her record-breaking 695 days spent in space across five missions—the most by any American or any woman.
During their stay aboard the space station, the astronauts conducted numerous scientific experiments and celebrated their national identities. Smiling and waving, they exited the capsule one by one into the pre-dawn darkness, marking a historic return for their countries to human spaceflight.
