Watch: Saudi astronauts splash down on Earth after 10 days in space

Saudi astronauts Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali Al Qarni concluded their 10-day historic mission on the International Space Station (ISS) and returned to Earth after their successful mission.

Axiom Space announced their arrival on Twitter and wrote: "The Dragon spacecraft successfully splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, marking the end of their mission to the International Space Station. Teams are currently working to return the spacecraft safely to the recovery ship."

The astronauts conducted 14 scientific and research experiments aboard the International Space Station during their stay.

On Monday, Barnawi and Al Qarni and their American colleagues, Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner, who make up the four-person crew dubbed the Axiom-2 mission, finished all their science and media outreach events and packed the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft for their return home.

The SpaceX Dragon began the return journey, which takes about 12 hours before reaching the water, announcing the end of the Ax-2 space mission launched by Saudi Arabia on May 22 as the first Saudi scientific mission toward space.

Saudi astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi became the first Arab female astronaut in space. She is accompanied by fellow astronaut Ali Alqarni, making Saudi Arabia one of the few countries to send astronauts of the same nationality on a space mission.

• Watch: UAE's Sultan AlNeyadi welcomes Saudi astronauts to outer space with dates, water