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.

A SpaceX capsule carrying four astronauts on the private Ax-4 mission hurtled through the Earth's atmosphere early Tuesday, paralleling the California coast with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off...

The mission — the fourth private ISS visit organized by Texas-based Axiom Space — involved the most research and science-related activities to date, with the four crew members working on around 60 sci...