United States - July 15, 2025 Four astronauts have safely returned to Earth after spending more than two weeks aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, Ax-4, was Axiom Space's fourth crewed flight to the ISS. It concluded early this morning when the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule named "Grace" splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast at 5:32 a.m. EDT (0932 GMT, 2:32 a.m. PDT local time). Grace had undocked from the space station the previous day at 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 GMT), marking the start of a 22-hour journey back to Earth. Ax-4 was commanded by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now Axiom’s director of human spaceflight. With this mission, Whitson extended her record for the most days in space by an American to 695. Joining Whitson were three first-time astronauts, each representing a country with no previous citizens aboard the ISS. Pilot Shubhanshu "Shux" Shukla from India is an Indian Air Force officer and part of ISRO's Gaganyaan mission planned for 2027. Mission specialist Sławosz "Suave" Uznański-Wiśniewski, from Poland, is part of the European Space Agency's astronaut reserve. Tibor Kapu, a Hungarian mission specialist, is a member of Hungary’s HUNOR program. Ax-4 launched on June 26 from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The crew docked with the ISS one day later. Originally planned as a two-week stay, the mission was extended by four days to align with optimal return orbits. While on the ISS, the crew completed over 60 experiments and technology demonstrations, setting a new record for Axiom missions. Their research involved contributions from 31 countries and included numerous public outreach events.