The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew, including India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, has successfully completed their splashdown and returned to Earth!
The splashdown occurred off the coast of San Diego, California, as planned.
Here are the key details:
- Splashdown Time: The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying the Ax-4 crew, successfully splashed down at approximately 3:01 PM IST on Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (This just happened, as the current time is 3:06 PM IST!)
- Location: Off the coast of San Diego, California.
- Crew Onboard:
- Commander Peggy Whitson (USA)
- Pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (India)
- Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland)
- Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu (Hungary)
- Mission Duration: The crew spent 18 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) before embarking on their 22.5-hour journey back to Earth.
- Key Moments of Return:
- Undocking: The Dragon spacecraft undocked from the ISS on Monday, July 14, 2025, at around 4:45 PM IST.
- De-orbit Burn: The crucial de-orbit burn to slow the spacecraft and bring it out of orbit was completed.
- Parachute Deployment: The drogue and main parachutes deployed successfully, slowing the capsule’s descent before splashdown.
- Sonic Boom: The Dragon spacecraft announced its re-entry with a brief sonic boom prior to splashdown.
- Recovery Operations: Recovery teams from SpaceX and Axiom Space were swiftly dispatched to the splashdown site to secure the capsule and assist the crew. The astronauts will undergo initial medical checks on the recovery ship (Shannon) before being transported for further evaluations and debriefings.
- Significance: This successful return marks the conclusion of a historic mission, especially for India, Poland, and Hungary, as their national astronauts lived and worked aboard the ISS for the first time. For Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, this invaluable experience will directly benefit India’s upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
The entire nation, including his family in Lucknow, was eagerly awaiting his safe return. This is a moment of immense pride for India and a testament to international collaboration in space exploration.
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