Private Ax-2 astronauts return to Earth in SpaceX Dragon.
The four private astronauts of the Ax-2 mission are set to return to Earth today, May 30, with an ocean splashdown scheduled for 11:02 p.m. EDT. The mission, operated by Axiom Space, launched on May 21 and arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) a day later. The private mission is commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and the other crewmates are paying customer John Shoffner and Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, both of whom are members of Saudi Arabia's first astronaut class.