Axiom Space Ax-2 Astronauts Aboard SpaceX Dragon, Depart The Space Station; Return To Earth

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, Freedom, undocked from the International Space Station(ISS) at 1505 UTC, carrying Axiom Space's private astronauts Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali AlQarni and Rayyanah Barnawi, on their journey back to Earth. After 12 hours of maneuvers and travel through space, Freedom is expected to splash down in the ocean off the coast of Florida at 0302 UTC on May 31, concluding the 12-day Ax-2 mission.

The hatches between Dragon Freedom and the space station officially closed at about 1320 UTC, Tuesday, before the capsule undocked from the orbiting laboratory.

During their 8-day stay in the space station, the four astronauts participated in a series of STEM outreach events using the station's ham radio as well as video links with students on Earth. Saudi astronaut Barnawi has been conducting cancer research experiments and tasks using a special glovebox while fellow Saudi crewmate AlQarni performed experiments for a Saudi university. On Friday, Axiom Space showcased Shoffner's work testing an MIT "Skinsuit" garment designed to simulate some effects of Earth gravity on an astronaut while in space.

Freedom lifted off the earth on May 21, atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.