Axiom Space Astronauts Depart ISS for Trip Home Written 8 February 2024
Members of the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) and Expedition 70 crews join each other for movie night inside the ISS's Harmony module. | Credit: NASA
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the first human spaceflight “of the year is headed home as the four crew of the Axiom Space Ax-3 mission climbed aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom and departed the International Space Station on Wednesday heading for a planned Friday morning splashdown off Florida’s coast.” The astronauts “spent nearly 18 days docked to the ISS after launching from KSC on Jan. 18 and arriving two days later.” On board “are Axiom chief astronaut and mission commander Michael López-Alegría along with Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, Alper Gezeravcı of Turkey and European Space Agency project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden.” Departing the ISS “at 9:20 a.m. EST, they now have just over a 47-hour ride home set to splash down off the coast of Daytona Beach targeting 8:30 a.m. Friday.”
Full Story (Orlando Sentinel – Subscription Publication)