Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Returns from Historic ISS Mission

Historic Return of Indian Astronaut
New Delhi, July 15: Indian astronaut and IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla made a triumphant return to Earth on Tuesday after his groundbreaking mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). His family in Lucknow was filled with a whirlwind of emotions, including joy, anxiety, and immense pride.
The Shukla household erupted in celebration upon receiving the news of his safe return from the ISS.
Shukla, who holds the distinction of being the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, successfully landed in the Pacific Ocean near California at 3:00 PM IST, marking the conclusion of Axiom Space’s historic Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission.
Following the successful landing, Shukla’s family expressed their heartfelt sentiments.
His mother, Asha Shukla, conveyed her emotions, stating: “Our excitement is evident. We are overwhelmed with joy knowing our son is back on Earth today. I am grateful to everyone for their support. It’s incredibly emotional to reunite after so many days. Our pride knows no bounds.”
His sister, Shuchi Mishra, shared her experience: “I barely slept last night due to the excitement. I feel butterflies in my stomach right now. I want to express my gratitude to everyone. We have been eagerly awaiting this moment. His return brings us immense happiness.”
His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, also expressed relief and gratitude: “I thank God for his safe return. I appreciate everyone who has blessed our child. He has come back from a place where the odds of returning were slim.”
Shubhanshu Shukla, who made history as the first Indian to reach the ISS, is now safely back home.
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft 'Grace', which carried Shukla and three other astronauts as part of the Axiom Space Mission-4 (Ax-4), splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 3:01 P.M. IST (4:31 AM CT).
“Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, AstroPeggy, Shux, astro_slawosz, and Tibi!” SpaceX announced on social media.
Shukla, along with fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), boarded the Dragon spacecraft 'Grace' at 3:30 A.M. CT (2 PM IST) on Monday. He embarked on his journey to the ISS on June 26, becoming the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma's historic flight in 1984.
The spacecraft underwent an 18-minute de-orbit burn over the Pacific Ocean as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere, during which communication was lost for approximately seven minutes.
Final preparations involved detaching the capsule's trunk and positioning the heat shield for atmospheric entry, exposing the spacecraft to temperatures nearing 1,600 degrees Celsius.
Parachutes were deployed in two phases: stabilizing chutes at about 5.7 km altitude at 2:57 P.M. IST, followed by the main parachutes at roughly two km before splashdown.
Shukla, who is India's first astronaut to live and work aboard the ISS, returned after completing an 18-day mission at the orbiting laboratory with his Axiom-4 crew.