First Indian Astronaut On ISS To Splash Down Today As Axiom-4 Returns To Earth

The Axiom-4 crew, India’s Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla, alongside Commander Peggy Whitson from the United States, European Space Agency project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, undocked from the International Space Station at 7:15 a.m. EDT (4:45 p.m. IST) on Monday, 14 July 2025 aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, named Grace.

After an 18-day mission, including more than 433 hours aboard the International Space Station, they are expected to return to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at approximately 2:31 a.m. Pacific Time (3:01 p.m. IST) on Tuesday, 15 July.

During their time in orbit, the crew completed nearly 288 orbits around the Earth, travelling an estimated 12.2 million kilometres. The mission supported more than 60 scientific investigations, including studies in biotechnology, materials science, crop growth, muscle regeneration and microalgae research. Around 580 pounds of research samples and experimental data are returning with the crew for further analysis on Earth.

To reach Earth, the Dragon capsule will perform a series of orbital manoeuvres, jettison its trunk section, and re-enter the atmosphere, protected by a heat shield. As it descends through the atmosphere, it will create a brief sonic boom. Parachutes will deploy in two stages, first stabilisers, then the main chutes, before a gentle splashdown in the Pacific Ocean about 22.5 hours after undocking.

Recovery teams stationed off the coast of California will retrieve the crew and spacecraft. The astronauts will undergo initial medical checks aboard the recovery vessel and then be airlifted to shore. Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla is scheduled to begin a seven-day rehabilitation programme to help his body readjust to Earth’s gravity.

Before departure, Shukla paid tribute to India’s first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, by reciting lines from the patriotic poem "Sare Jahan Se Accha". His historic journey marked India’s first mission to the ISS and its second-ever human spaceflight. The mission also represented Poland and Hungary’s first visits to the ISS, and SpaceX’s eighteenth crewed flight using its Dragon spacecraft.

The safe return of the Axiom-4 crew will mark the successful conclusion of a mission that highlights increasing global participation in commercial spaceflight and international scientific collaboration in low-Earth orbit.