Splashdown Ends Extended Mission

The Axiom Mission 3 crew is about to splash down near Daytona Beach this morning, nearly two days after departing from the International Space Station. The trip back home normally takes about 9 hours, but the crew undocked from the ISS on Wednesday morning aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule, and is now about to complete a nearly 47-hour ride for the return to earth. Splashdown is set for around 8:30 this morning, and it will mark the first Central Florida landing of a SpaceX crew capsule since the Inspiration 4 mission three years ago. Later this month, NASA and SpaceX will launch Crew-8 to the International Space Station. That launch is targeted for no earlier than February 22.