Markus Wundt returns to Sweden after space flight

?By Alimat Aliyeva

Swede Marcus Vandt, who had previously gone with three astronauts to the International Space Station, returned to his homeland just over a week after returning from the flight, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

Vandt was greeted with a red carpet at Bromma Airport.

"As soon as I got into the capsule, I felt like 'this is my element,'" Vandt said of the space mission at a press conference.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Minister of Education Mats Persson and Stockholm County Governor Anna Kinberg Batra were also among those present. After the press conference, Vandt handed the Prime Minister a framed Swedish flag that he had carried with him during the space flight. Since the Crew Dragon spacecraft landed on Earth, Vandt has had to undergo several medical tests and a training program in Cologne to re-adapt to Earth's gravity.

On the space station, he participated in about 20 planned experiments, including one for Uppsala University to study the effects of weightlessness on stem cells. According to the Swedish Space Agency, the flight cost Sweden about $43 million.

Initially, it was assumed that Vandt and other crew members would return to Earth in two weeks. However, due to bad weather, the trip had to be postponed several times.