A SpaceX capsule carrying a multinational crew from Axiom Space Inc. safely returned to Earth on Tuesday, splashing down off the California coast at 5:31 a.m. New York time after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station.

The team—retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, Indian test pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Hungarian engineer Tibor Kapu—undocked from the ISS early Monday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

They spent nearly 24 hours orbiting the Earth, waiting for the right re-entry window. At 4:37 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the capsule’s forward Draco thrusters fired for nearly 18 minutes, initiating the descent back to Earth.

Re-entering the atmosphere on a northwest-to-southeast path, the spacecraft slowed dramatically amid intense re-entry heat before deploying parachutes and landing gently west of San Diego at 5:31 a.m.

SpaceX recovery crews soon secured the capsule aboard the support ship Shannon, opened the hatch, and assisted the crew as they began reacclimating to gravity after three weeks in microgravity. All four astronauts appeared healthy and cheerful, waving as they exited the spacecraft.

The mission marked the fourth private astronaut flight organized by Houston-based Axiom Space in partnership with NASA, part of ongoing efforts to expand commercial access to low-Earth orbit for research and exploration.