"Private Astronaut Mission Ax-3 Successfully Concludes with Splashdown in Atlantic"

SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft, Freedom, successfully completed the Ax-3 private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, splashing down off the coast of Florida after a three-week mission. The mission, commanded by former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría, included an Italian Air Force officer, a Turkish astronaut, and a Swedish astronaut who represented the European Space Agency. Axiom Space, the company behind the mission, aims to gain spaceflight experience for future commercial modules on the ISS and a standalone space station. This successful mission also demonstrated new opportunities for European astronauts and marked the first crewed launch by SpaceX this year, with plans for several more missions in 2023.