Ax-3 astronauts splash down and complete the first European commercial mission to the ISS

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HOUSTON, February 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — After undocking from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, February 7, the crew of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) landed safely off the coast Florida aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft 8:30 am ET February 9, 2024. With the return of the Ax-3 crew, Axiom Space’s first pan-European commercial astronaut mission and Axiom Space’s third crewed mission to the ISS officially ends.

The Ax-3 crew includes commander Michael Lopez-Alegria from the United States and Spain, pilot Walter Villaday from the Italian Air Force, and mission specialists Alper Gezeravci from Turkey and Markus Wandtfrom Sweden and the European Space Agency (ESA).

“The successful return of our Ax-3 astronauts means more than just the completion of human spaceflight; it marks a turning point in commercial space exploration and an important milestone for achieving Europe’s goals in low Earth orbit,” he said. Michael Suffredini, CEO of Axiom Space. “Axiom Space’s first three commercial missions to the ISS are a testament to international progress in space, featuring diverse crews representing eight countries and, for the first time on Ax-3, the European Space Agency. The success of these missions is an important step on our path to the Axiom stationunderscoring our ongoing efforts to expand access to low Earth orbit.”

During the 18-day docking mission with the ISS, the Ax-3 crew lived and worked aboard the orbiting laboratory, performing more than 30 different experiments and more than 50 outreach events. Human research data collected on the ground before and after the mission, as well as in flight, will improve the understanding of human physiology on Earth and in microgravity.

Ax-3 demonstrates that the European space community is a pioneer in the growing commercial space industry. The crew and the governments they represent are taking bold steps toward a new era of leadership in low Earth orbit.

Ax-3 marked many firsts: it was the first commercial spaceflight of domestic astronauts, sponsored by the government and ESA; mission specialist Alper Gezeravci became the first Turkish cosmonaut in history; and mission specialist Markus Wandt He was the first ESA project astronaut to participate in a commercial spaceflight.

Ax-3 is the third in a series of human spaceflights proposed by Axiom Space and marks a major milestone toward the creation of Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station.

Axiom Space plays an important role in offering human spaceflight to the international community. These missions enable governments, individuals, researchers, academic institutions and organizations around the world to conduct extensive scientific research, technology demonstrations and outreach activities in the unique environment of microgravity.

Axiom Space’s first three flights to the ISS included crew members from the United States, Spain, Israel, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Turkey and Sweden with support from ESA. In addition, last year Axiom Space signed a memorandum of understanding with ESA and the British Space Agency to explore future human spaceflight capabilities.

Axiom Space plans to launch its fourth mission, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), to the ISS no earlier than October 2024 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the United States. Florida.

Go to re-land at www.axiomspace.com.

ABOUT THE AXIOM OF SPACE

Axiom Space is building an afterlife with the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits all people everywhere. Axiom Space, a leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human space infrastructure, currently operates integrated missions to the International Space Station and is also developing its successor, Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station in low Earth orbit, which will support the growth of humanity off-planet and bring home untold benefits. www.axiospace.com.

Contact:media@axiomspace.com