Indian Astronaut Shubhashu Shukla Returns from Historic ISS Mission

Historic Return of Indian Astronaut

Shubhashu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to step aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is making his way back to Earth. During a live broadcast on Monday, the Ax-4 mission was shown undocking from the orbiting laboratory with its four-member crew. The spacecraft is expected to land on Earth in less than 24 hours.

The Ax-4 mission, led by former NASA expert Peggy Whitson and commanded by Shukla, arrived at the ISS on June 26. The crew also included Slawoj Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

Mission Details and Return Journey

The Dragon spacecraft, named 'Grace', separated from the space station at 4:45 PM Indian time on Monday, carrying Commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Slawoj Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu. SpaceX, the company managing the Ax-4 mission, announced in a post that the Dragon spacecraft and all Ax-4 crew members will re-enter Earth's atmosphere at 3:01 PM Indian time on Tuesday, landing in the ocean off the coast of San Diego.

The spacecraft will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom before landing in the Pacific Ocean. It is anticipated that the Dragon will perform a 'de-orbit burn' over the Pacific at approximately 2:07 PM Indian time today.

When a spacecraft is in orbit and needs to return to Earth, it must reduce its speed to exit orbit and enter the atmosphere. This speed reduction is achieved by firing the spacecraft's thrusters (small engines) in a specific direction and for a set duration, a process known as 'de-orbit burn'.