Shubhanshu Shukla, a Group Captain and the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), is back on Earth. This marks it as the successful completion of Axiom Space's Axe-4 mission. He has officially become the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after 41 years and the first to visit the ISS. The Indian astronaut, along with three fellow astronauts, Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), has splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off California at 3:00 PM IST (4:30 AM CT) today.
The crew boarded SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft "Grace" at 2 PM IST on Monday (July 14), undocking from the ISS's Harmony module at 4:45 PM IST.
SpaceX confirmed safe departure from ISS
The spacecraft's hatch was sealed at 5:07 AM EDT, and SpaceX confirmed "Dragon separation" via its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
"Dragon is GO to undock from the Space Station," posted SpaceX.
"Dragon separation confirmed!"
The return journey is expected to last nearly 23 hours, after which recovery teams will retrieve the crew. Shukla will begin a 7-day rehabilitation to readjust to Earth's gravity following 18 days in microgravity.
Extended mission to support science
Originally planned for 14 days, Shubhanshu's mission got extended by 4 more days to enable additional research and collaborative experiments on the ISS. During the extended time, he participated in multiple scientific tasks and international outreach efforts.
Parents overwhelmed
Several videos have surfaced, showing how emotional Shubhanshu's mother, father and sister were when the Dragon capsule splashed down.
First Indian to visit the space in 41 years
Shubhanshu Shukla has achieved the remarkable milestone of becoming the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, following in the footsteps of Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard a Soviet mission in 1984. Shukla launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre on June 26, making India proud by taking part in various scientific and educational missions in space.
A new chapter for India's Space aspirations
Shubhanshu Shukla's safe return marks the beginning of India's deeper role in global human spaceflight efforts. His mission not only honours India's legacy in space but also sets the stage for ISRO's upcoming Gaganyaan mission, which aims to send Indian astronauts into orbit aboard indigenous spacecraft shortly.
Rehabilitation and the road ahead
After splashdown, Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three other astronauts, will undergo a 7-day rehabilitation period to readjust to Earth's gravity.
An emotional farewell from orbit
Before departure, Shubhanshu Shukla shared a heartfelt message from the station's cupola:
"India still looks better than the whole world," he said while gazing down at Earth.
He also thanked ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX for making the mission possible, calling the experience "an incredible journey."
The mission under Axe-4 marks a historic milestone as India prepares for future manned spaceflight missions.