CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – A private spaceflight involving the first astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary in over four decades concluded on Tuesday with a splashdown in the Pacific.
The SpaceX capsule they were aboard detached from the International Space Station on Monday, subsequently parachuting into the ocean near Southern California within less than 24 hours.
The crew of four launched nearly three weeks ago on a flight chartered by the Houston company Axiom Space.
Leading the mission was Axiom’s Peggy Whitson, the most seasoned U.S. astronaut. Accompanying her were Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, with each country investing over $65 million for their participation in the mission.
“Thanks for the great ride and safe trip,” Whitson radioed moments after splashdown.
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.
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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