Pakistan, July 15 -- LOS ANGELES - Astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary safely returned to Earth alongside NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, concluding the Axiom-4 mission after 18 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The team's capsule, launched by SpaceX, landed in the Pacific Ocean near Southern California early Tuesday morning.

The mission was organized by Texas-based Axiom Space in collaboration with Elon Musk's SpaceX. The capsule reentered Earth's atmosphere at intense speeds, generating extreme heat, before parachuting down into calm waters near San Diego. The spacecraft's safe landing was broadcast live through infrared cameras.

Leading the mission was Peggy Whitson, 65, a retired NASA astronaut and the first woma...