NEW DELHI– Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is scheduled to begin his return journey to Earth on July 14, Axiom Space confirmed on Friday.
Shukla, along with fellow Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew members Peggy Whitson, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Tibor Kapu, will undock from the ISS aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The vehicle is set to depart from the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 7:05 a.m. ET (4:35 p.m. IST).
A splashdown is expected several hours later in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California.
“We are working with the station programme, watching the Axiom-4 progress carefully,” said Steve Stitch, Manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, during a press conference. “The current target to undock is July 14.”
Shukla’s 14-day mission marks a major milestone for India’s space program. He is the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS and only the second Indian to go to space, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984.
During his time aboard the ISS, Shukla conducted seven India-specific experiments to support India’s upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission. These included research on muscle loss in microgravity, development of a brain-computer interface, and the germination of green gram and fenugreek seeds in space.
He also engaged with school students from Kerala and Lucknow through video conferencing, answering questions about life in space. Students inquired about astronauts’ diets, sleeping arrangements, illness protocols, and the purpose of space missions.
Describing the launch aboard the Axiom-4 mission as “amazing” and “dynamic,” Shukla added a lighthearted glimpse into life in orbit: “It is fun actually, because in space there is no floor and no ceiling. So if you were to come and visit the station, you would find someone sleeping on the walls, someone on the ceiling.”
Shukla’s mission is seen as a significant leap forward for India’s ambitions in space exploration and human spaceflight. (Source: IANS)
