In this image made from video supplied by NASA, SpaceX Dragon space capsule is lifted out of the water after splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico early Friday, May 6, 2022. NASA’s Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, and the European Space Agency’s Matthias Maurer undocked from the International Space Station less than 24 hours earlier. (NASA via AP)
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX has returned four astronauts from the International Space Station with a midnight splashdown off the Florida coast. Friday’s homecoming for the three Americans and one German caps the busiest month yet for Elon Musk’s space taxi service. The astronauts rode back to Earth in the same capsule that delivered them to the space station last November. They departed the orbiting lab Thursday, after spending nearly a week with their replacements. Their mission was highlighted by NASA’s first paying guests, three millionaires who visited last month. SpaceX handled everyone’s travel.