Many residents across the Gulf Coast from Mobile to Northwest Florida heard a mysterious boom just after 10 p.m. on Tuesday. The sound was the sonic boom of the SpaceX Dragon Freedom capsule returning to Earth.

On May 21, 2023, the all-private astronaut crew of SpaceX AX-2 launched into space on a 10-day mission with the assistance of the Falcon 9 rocket. Astronaut Peggy Whitson, John Shoffner, Ali Alqarni and Rayyanah Barnawi were the second private mission to the International Space Station and the second of four missions SpaceX will launch to the space station, according to a statement on the SpaceX website.

The crew spent more than a week conducting science experiments, outreach and on-orbit activities. The crew boarded the Dragon Freedom capsule at 8:10 a.m. to begin their return to Earth. The capsule could be seen as a white streak in the sky as it crossed the Gulf Coast and could be heard as a sonic boom that shook homes and startled residents.

The Ax-2 crew splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico at 10:04 p.m. CST just off the coast of Panama City, Florida according to the SpaceX website.