After 18 days at the International Space Station, the Axiom Mission-4 crew on board SpaceX 's Dragon spacecraft "Grace" undocked and returned to Earth this week. Commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla and mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kapu splashed down off the coast of California on Tuesday (July 15).

However, the increasing privatization of space access raises questions about America's future role in space exploration. While another private company, SpaceX, currently provides the only means for launching astronauts from U.S. soil, Oluseyi emphasized the importance of maintaining both public and private investment in space.