India's First Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Returns from Historic Space Mission
Shubhanshu Shukla's Remarkable Journey
New Delhi, July 14: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who made history as India’s inaugural astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is preparing to return to Earth after successfully completing an 18-day mission as part of the Axiom-4 (AX-4) private spaceflight.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which is transporting Shukla along with three international crew members, is scheduled to undock from the ISS at 4:30 PM IST on Monday. It is anticipated to land in the Pacific Ocean near California around 3:00 PM IST on July 15 (Tuesday).
Shukla, an officer in the Indian Air Force, traveled to the ISS with veteran American astronaut and mission commander Peggy Whitson, ESA astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu. This mission represents the fourth private venture by Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and SpaceX.
Throughout his stay on the ISS, Shukla engaged in various scientific experiments and outreach initiatives aimed at motivating the next generation of Indian scientists and engineers. The mission successfully returned over 580 pounds of cargo, which included equipment and valuable research samples from more than 60 scientific experiments conducted in microgravity.
In an emotional farewell message from space, Shukla described his experience aboard the ISS as 'an incredible journey' and expressed gratitude to ISRO, Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX for their support.
He also honored the contributions of Indian students and researchers who played a role in achieving the mission’s scientific objectives.
Reflecting on his homeland while gazing at Earth from orbit, Shukla shared, 'Today's India appears ambitious from space, brave, confident, and filled with pride. I can confidently say that today's India stands out better than the entire world.'
As India continues to strengthen its position in the global space arena, Shubhanshu Shukla’s successful mission signifies a historic achievement.