The second paid astronaut mission to the Space Station returns

May 31. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Axiom Space’s Ax-2 crew aboard the SpaceX Dragon Freedom spacecraft splashed down safely off the coast of Florida at 0304 UTC on May 31.

The return of the crew officially concludes the second fully private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Ax-2 crew includes Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight and commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, pilot John Shoffner, and mission specialists Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi of the Saudi Space Commission ( SSC). Both are members of the first class of Saudi national astronauts.

The Ax-2 crew spent eight days aboard the ISS, orbited the Earth 126 times and traveled 5.3 million kilometers. During the mission, the Ax-2 crew conducted more than 20 research experiments and served as research subjects to better understand the impacts of microgravity on the human body, as well as established methods for the utility of novel technologies that could be used to humans in the future. spaceflight pursuits and improve life on Earth. In addition, the team completed more than 20 STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) engagements.

Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi are the first Saudi astronauts to visit the ISS.

Axiom Space is the The commercial space industry’s only full-service orbital mission provider,

The only private firm to conduct end-to-end manned missions to the International Space Station, Axiom Space offers individual astronaut training and flying, access to training facilities and instructors, hardware and safety certification, and in-orbit operational management.

Candidates for the flight complete the Axiom Space training curriculum for many months preparing to live and do significant work in space, as explained by the company itself.