Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to earth Tuesday at 3 PM IST, after 18 days aboard the ISS. Watch the moment the Dragon spacecraft with the Axiom-4 crew aboard touched down off the coast in San Diego.
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla returned to earth Tuesday at 3 PM IST, after 18 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Watch the moment the Dragon spacecraft with the Axiom-4 crew aboard touched down off the coast in San Diego. After completing more than 300 orbits during his 1.3-crore-km journey, and completing all seven microgravity experiments and other planned activities, Shubhanshu Shukla and three other Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission astronauts completed their 22.5-hour journey back to Earth.
#WATCH | In a historic moment, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the Axiom-4 crew aboard Dragon spacecraft splashes down in the Pacific Ocean after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS)
(Video Source: Axiom Space/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/qLAq2tyW5S
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2025
Piloted by Shubhanshu Shukla, the Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, undocked from the ISS on Monday, after an 18-day stay at the International Space Station, or ISS. By around 2.11 pm Monday, Shukla and mission commander Peggy Whitson were fully suited and in their seats inside the spacecraft — dubbed ‘Grace’ — which made a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean, NASA said.
At 2.50 pm the entire hatch closing process, which had started at around 2.38 pm, was complete. Following this, the Nasa and SpaceX teams began procedures for depressurisation of Grace and also conducted leak tests and other checks before the capsule could be given a go-ahead for undocking.
At 4:45 pm, the spacecraft separated from the ISS, marking the beginning of the 22.5-hour homeward journey.
Minutes after the undocking, mission commander Peggy Whitson radioed “Godspeed” and hoped for a safe return to Earth.