Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who made history as the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), is returning to Earth on Tuesday, concluding a landmark mission under Axiom Space’s Ax-4 programme.
Following an 18-day stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, Shukla and his three international colleagues will likely splash down in the Pacific Ocean off California at 3:01 PM IST (4:31 AM CT).
The return journey began on Monday when Shukla, alongside astronauts Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), boarded SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft ‘Grace’ at 3:30 AM CT (2 PM IST).
The vehicle undocked from the Harmony module of the ISS at 7:15 AM ET (4:45 PM IST).
NASA confirmed the closure of the hatch at 5:07 AM EDT, shortly after which SpaceX announced, “Dragon separation confirmed,” via its official X handle.
Taking to X, SpaceX posted, “Dragon is GO to undock from the @Space_Station“
“Dragon separation confirmed!” followed soon after.
The crew’s return spans nearly 23 hours. After splashdown, recovery teams will assist the astronauts, with Shukla set to begin a seven-day rehabilitation process to adapt back to Earth’s gravity following his time in microgravity.
Though initially planned for 14 days, Shukla’s mission was extended to 18 to accommodate additional experiments and joint operations aboard the ISS. His journey makes him only the second Indian to travel to space, after Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984.
In a heartfelt message from space, Shukla reflected on the mission as ‘an incredible journey’, thanking ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX.
From the station’s cupola, he added, “India still looks better than the whole world.”
Shukla’s return marks a proud chapter in India’s space ambitions and a key milestone in its expanding role in international space exploration.
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