Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday gave an update on the Axiom-4 International Space Station (ISS) mission. He said the astronauts will return to Earth on July 15 at 3:00 PM IST.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is currently on board the ISS. He will return with three other astronauts — Peggy Whitson, Sławosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Tibor Kapu. They will undock from the ISS in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
The undocking is scheduled for July 14 at 4:30 PM IST. Singh shared this timing on X. He added that the splashdown is expected on July 15 at 3:00 PM IST.
The Minister noted a margin of about one hour for both events. He also said that further updates will follow if needed.
Shukla marks historic milestone for India
The spacecraft will land in the Pacific Ocean, near California’s coast. The splashdown will take place several hours after undocking.
Shukla is on a 14-day mission. He is the first Indian to visit the ISS. He is also the second Indian astronaut after Rakesh Sharma, who flew in 1984.
During his stay, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla carried out seven India-specific experiments. These support India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
He studied muscle loss in space, developed a brain-computer interface, and sprouted green gram and fenugreek seeds.
The astronauts also tested Indian Tardigrades. They studied survival, revival, reproduction, and gene expression in space.
Another experiment called Myogenesis tested how space affects human muscle cells.
They sprouted moong and methi seeds to support crew nutrition. The Cyanobacteria study examined two varieties for future life support systems.
These efforts mark a major step in India’s space science journey. The findings will aid Gaganyaan, the planned Bhartiya Antariksha Station, and future planetary missions.
After landing, Shukla and his team will enter a seven-day rehab programme. Flight surgeons will help them adjust to Earth’s gravity.
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