The Ax-2 crew undocked from the International Space Station Tuesday morning to make its 12-hour journey back to Earth, and splashed down at 11:04 p.m. ET in the Gulf of Mexico. "Splashdown of Dragon confirmed - welcome back to Earth," SpaceX tweeted with a video showing the main parachutes deployed as the spacecraft floated downward before hitting the water.

Earlier in the day, the Houston-based privately-funded space infrastructure developer livestreamed the event as the capsule undocked from the ISS at 11:05 a.m. EDT Tuesday. It marks the second crew of astronauts on an entirely private space mission.

"We did get that confirmation that Dragon has successfully exited the approach ellipsoid and is continuing their journey back to Earth," NASA's Mission Control in Houston said during the broadcast, before turning it over to Axiom.

Axiom's four-member crew lifted off earlier this month from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Mission specialist Rayyanah Barnawi became the first Saudi woman in space and was joined by fellow Saudi astronaut Ali al-Qarni. Former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is commanding the mission, after Axiom sent its first private astronaut crew to the ISS for a 17-day mission last year.

The multinational crew of astronauts conducted more than 20 different experiments while aboard the ISS.

"It will only take them roughly 12 hours until they make their way back down to Earth. Next up the crew will doff their space suits to get a little bit more comfy for flight," Axiom's Jessie Anderson told the audience during the end of the live broadcast.

"After a brief off-duty period, the crew will then begin final in-cabin preparations. In approximately six-and-a-half hours from now, they will dawn their space suits and begin final preparation for the orbit reentry and splashdown."

Source: United Press International

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