Astronauts from Türkiye, Italy, Sweden return to Earth after ISS trip

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Astronauts placed aboard a recovery vessel after the SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Atlantic Ocean, February 9, 2024. /CFP

Astronauts from Türkiye, Italy and Sweden returned to Earth on Friday, ending a private three-week mission to the International Space Station.

The trio were accompanied by a retired NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the chartered flight. The crew returned in a SpaceX capsule that parachuted into the Atlantic off the Florida coast.

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the Ax-3 crew splashes down off the coast of Daytona, Florida, February 9, 2024. /CFP

Türkiye celebrated Alper Gezeravci's launch from Cape Canaveral last month. A former fighter pilot and captain for Turkish Airlines, he became the first person from his country to fly in space.

Gezeravci was joined on the trip by Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, Sweden's Marcus Wandt, a former fighter pilot chosen as a reserve astronaut by the European Space Agency in 2022 and Michael Lopez-Alegria, their escort.

Türkiye, Italy and Sweden financed the mission, paying roughly $55 million apiece. It was Axiom's third private mission to the space station; the fourth is planned later this year.

Source(s): AP