After 18 days docked to the International Space Station (ISS), completing about 288 orbits around the Earth, Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) Commander Michael López-Alegría, Pilot Walter Villadei, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı, and Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt are homebound!
Aboard a SpaceX Dragon, the Ax-3 crew undocked from the ISS early this morning at 9:20 a.m. ET to begin their 47-hour journey back to Earth. The astronauts are targeted to splashdown off the coast of Florida on Feb. 9 around 8:30 a.m. ET, with coverage beginning at 7:25 a.m. ET. Updates and details on splashdown can be found here.
During the mission, the Ax-3 astronauts successfully completed a total of 56 research activities — to include 39 conducted aboard the space station — focusing on life, physical and Earth science, as well as human research and technology demonstrations. The crew also conducted 28 media and outreach engagements with news outlets, government officials, organizations, and important stakeholders from their countries. Of those, nine engagements focused on educating and inspiring hundreds of students from around the world.
Prior to departing from the ISS, MLA participated in a final mission update and answered questions from Axiom Space employees and young children eager to hear about the crew’s experience aboard the space station and journey in space. Click here to watch.