Axiom-4 Mission's Historic Return: Indian Astronaut Shubanshu Shukla Leads Crew's Homecoming

The historic Axiom-4 mission is nearing its conclusion as Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station, gears up for a splashdown off San Diego's coast at approximately 3 PM IST on Tuesday. SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is poised for re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, its arrival anticipated to be heralded by a "brief sonic boom" before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

SpaceX, in a statement, confirmed that the Dragon and the Axiom Space Ax-4 crew are on track to re-enter Earth's atmosphere at around 2:31 a.m. PT. The crew, aboard the Dragon spacecraft named Grace, is currently on its 22.5-hour return journey from the ISS.

On Monday, Ax-4 undocked successfully, marking the beginning of their journey back to Earth, as noted by Axiom Space and NASA. According to NASA, the Dragon spacecraft disengaged from the ISS's Harmony module, wrapping up Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the space station.

The mission saw over 60 scientific studies and numerous outreach events, as Axiom Space highlighted in a live session. The Ax-4 crew, including ISRO's Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Commander Peggy Whitson, ESA's Slawosz Uznanski of Poland, and HUNOR's Tibor Kapu, conducted active research and outreach throughout their stay.

Launched on June 25 via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, the Dragon successfully docked with the ISS on June 26. The mission underscores significant international collaboration and scientific inquiry.

(With inputs from agencies.)