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The third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station successfully completed its journey as part of NASA efforts to create commercial opportunities in space. Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) and its four crew members safely returned to Earth Friday, splashing down off the coast of Daytona, Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Axiom Space astronauts, Michael L\u00f3pez-Alegr\u00eda, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, and Alper Gezeravci returned to Earth aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 8:30 a.m. EST, completing their nearly 22-day mission that included 18 days aboard the space station. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and astronauts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLow Earth orbit is now within humanity\u2019s economic sphere of influence. It presents the best opportunities for the U.S. commercial space sector to capture new global and domestic markets and to provide critical capabilities to the nation\u2019s space objectives,\u201d said Phil McAlister, director of NASA\u2019s commercial space division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cThis ground-breaking Ax-3 mission is part of a larger effort, enabled by NASA, to open space to more people, more research, and more opportunities as the agency prepares for the transition to future private space stations at the end of this decade.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Ax-3 mission launched at 4:49 p.m. Jan. 18 on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Approximately 37 hours later, Dragon docked to the Harmony module\u2019s forward port. The astronauts undocked from the same port at 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, to begin the trip home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The crew spent over two weeks conducting microgravity research, educational outreach, and commercial activities. The spacecraft returns to Florida for inspection and processing at SpaceX\u2019s refurbishing facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, where teams will examine the spacecraft\u2019s data and performance throughout the flight. Throughout their mission, the astronauts conducted over 30 science experiments, and returned science, including NASA cargo, back to Earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Supporting private astronaut missions is part of NASA\u2019s strategy to create a vibrant commercial economy in orbit where the agency will become just one of many customers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Ax-3 mission embodies the culmination of NASA\u2019s efforts to foster a commercial market in low Earth orbit and continue a new era of space exploration that enables more people and organizations to fly multiple mission objectives. This partnership expands the arc of human spaceflight history and opens access to low Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, science, and commercial opportunities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Learn more about how NASA is supporting a space economy in low-Earth orbit:<\/p>\n
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