The private crew included Ax-4 mission commander and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. It was her fifth trip to space and extended her record-setting duration to 695 days, the most of any American.
It's the fourth mission to the International Space Station for Axiom Space. The Houston company works with SpaceX for rides to the station and coordinates with NASA to use the ISS for its astronauts.
The crew of four commercial astronauts flew to the International Space Station last month on a SpaceX rocket and capsule. Their time in space was extended several days due to poor weather off Florida.
The mission, Ax-3, is the third time Houston-based Axiom Space has sent paying passengers to the I.S.S. During 16 days of orbit, the all-European crew will conduct 30 experiments and public outreach.
