A few hours ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft concluded its Ax-2 mission by splashing down without problems. On board were Peggy Whitson, Ali AlQarni, John Shoffner, and Rayyanah Barnawi, who ended this completely private space mission in the Atlantic Ocean after leaving the International Space Station about 12 hours earlier. Shortly after splashing down, SpaceX’s recovery ship went to retrieve the Freedom and its crew to transport them to the coast.

Launched on May 21 and arrived at the International Space Station the day after, it’s a private mission set up in a collaboration between SpaceX and Axiom Space and for this reason called Axiom Mission 2 or simply Ax-2. It was the second had as its purpose the use of the Station to conduct experiments also for commercial purposes. NASA collaborates with Axiom Space and SpaceX on these missions as part of a program of progressive opening to private companies that take on increasingly important roles in space missions.

Last year, Axiom Space already proved to be a reliable partner for NASA and SpaceX with the success of the first of its private missions. Now that success has been repeated in the second mission, commanded by astronaut Peggy Whitson, which adds new records to a career that was already extraordinary even by the standards of a group of exceptional people. In her role as Axiom Space’s Director of Human Space Flight, she’ll keep on helping open the space frontier even while remaining on Earth.

For the first time, two Saudi astronauts spent time on the International Space Station, another sign of the progressive opening up of space to other nations. Axiom Space’s long-term plans go up to the launch of company-manufactured modules to be added to the International Space Station to eventually create a commercial space station.

In the short to medium term, further commercial missions will be set up. Axiom Space programs are “fluid”, as they depend on many factors. The next mission, referred to as Axiom Mission 3 or Ax-3, is scheduled to be conducted not earlier than autumn 2023 but it’s easy for the date to slip by months, as the company has to coordinate the work of different entities in various countries. For now, Freedom’s crew members will undergo medical tests like all astronauts.