Astronauts from Turkey, Italy and Sweden return to Earth, ending private space station trip
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronauts from Turkey, Italy and Sweden returned to Earth on Friday, ending a private three-week mission to the International Space Station.
The trio were accompanied by a retired NASA astronaut who now works for Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the chartered flight. The crew returned in a SpaceX capsule that parachuted into the Atlantic off the Florida coast.
Turkey celebrated Alper Gezeravci’s launch from Cape Canaveral last month. A former fighter pilot and captain for Turkish Airlines, he became the first person from his country to fly in space.
Gezeravci was joined on the trip by Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei, Sweden’s Marcus Wandt, a former fighter pilot chosen as a reserve astronaut by the European Space Agency in 2022 and Michael Lopez-Alegria, their escort.
Turkey, Italy and Sweden financed the mission, paying roughly $55 million apiece. It was Axiom’s third private mission to the space station; the fourth is planned later this year.
Related articles
Vietnam celebrates 70 years since Dien Bien Phu battle that ended French colonial rule
DIEN BIEN PHU, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam on Tuesday celebrated the 70th anniversary of the battle of Di2024-05-08Global trade to rebound by 2.6 pct in 2024: WTO report
GENEVA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The volume of global trade in merchandise should increase by 2.6 percen2024-05-08- A girl and a staff member of the China-Laos Railway pose for photos in Luang Prabang, Laos, April 242024-05-08
Ecuador embroiled in diplomatic backlash after police break into Mexican embassy
QUITO, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador drew widespread criticism from the United Nations and several Lat2024-05-08Biden speaks with Netanyahu as Israelis appear closer to major Rafah offensive
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden again urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against2024-05-08US interference abroad: A brief timeline
The US has long attempted to mold other countries with its own values and political system in the na2024-05-08
atest comment