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.

The first astronauts in more than 40 years from India, Poland and Hungary are back on Earth. They closed out their private spaceflight Tuesday with a splashdown in the Pacific off the California coast.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -NASA retiree turned private astronaut Peggy Whitson and three crewmates from India, Poland and Hungary departed the International Space Station early on Monday and embarked on their return flight to Earth.