Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Tuesday splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in California with the Axiom-4 crew aboard Dragon spacecraft after a historic 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station. The astronauts returned to Earth after a 22.5-hour journey.
The Dragon ‘Grace’ spacecraft carrying Shukla, commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, undocked from the ISS at 4:45 PM IST on Monday, July 14.
“Dragon and the @Axiom_Space Ax-4 crew are on track to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down off the coast of San Diego at ~2:31 am PT tomorrow (3:01 pm IST, Tuesday),” SpaceX, the transporter for the Axiom-4 mission, stated in a post on X.
Ax-4 Mission | Return https://t.co/7OR2AJF2FM
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) July 15, 2025
After the splash down San Diego in California, the spacecraft will be hauled up on a special recovery ship. The astronauts will then be brought out from the capsule and undergo a series of medical checks on the ship.
Subsequently, they will board a helicopter for a ride back to the shore. The astronauts are likely to spend around seven days in rehabilitation, which is crucial for them to adjust back to life on Earth due to sudden changes such as the influence of gravity, which is unlike the weightlessness they experience in orbit.
“Jaldi hi dharti pe mulaqat karte hai (we will meet on Earth soon),” Astronaut Shukla said at the farewell ceremony onboard the ISS on Sunday before undocking.
Shukla, who became the first Indian to travel to the ISS, is also the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 odyssey.
The Axiom-4 mission marked the return to space for India, Poland and Hungary after over four decades.
ISRO is said to have paid approximately Rs 550 crore for Shukla’s travel to the ISS. His experience will help the space agency in the planning and execution of its human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, which is set to take to orbit in 2027.
