Following their return to Earth after spending nearly 22 days in space and 18 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the astronauts of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) shared their unique experiences and insights during a press conference on Feb. 27. During the event, the Ax-3 crew highlighted the achievements of the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to the ISS.
In an historic venture, three countries — Italy, Türkiye, and Sweden with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) — united for Ax-3 as the first commercial spaceflight mission made up of government and ESA-sponsored national astronauts. The Ax-3 crew includes Commander Michael López-AlegrÃa (U.S. and Spain), Pilot Walter Villadei (Italian Air Force), and Mission Specialists Alper Gezeravcı (Türkiye) and Marcus Wandt (Sweden and ESA). Â