Kumar Bahukhandi
Ax4 undocked from the ISS, Shubhanshu is returning to Earth – Photo: X @NASA / SpaceX
Axiom4-Mission Return From ISS: After spending 18 days on the International Space Station, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla left for Earth on Monday. He made a historic journey under the Axiom-4 mission. Earlier, at the farewell ceremony, Shubhanshu Shukla shared a glimpse of India’s strength and confidence from space. On Tuesday, his spacecraft will land in the sea near the California coast.
Indian astronaut Shubhnshu Shukla, who spent 18 days on the International Space Station (ISS), has now begun his journey back to Earth. He is returning under the Axiom-4 mission. In this episode, his spacecraft has been undocked from the ISS. This mission also marks a return to space for Hungary and Poland along with India, as these countries have again participated in space after four decades.
Shubhanshu Shukla and his team are on board the Dragon spacecraft and the undocking from the space station took place at around 4:50 pm (Indian time). After this, the spacecraft will splash down in the sea near the coast of California at 3:01 pm IST on Tuesday after a journey of 22.5 hours. This entire process will be automated and will not require any manual intervention.
Spacecraft return process
After separating from the ISS, the Dragon spacecraft will burn some engines so that it can take itself to a safe distance from the station. After this, it will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. During this, its temperature can reach 1,600 degrees Celsius. Parachutes will open in two stages, first the stabilizing chutes at an altitude of 5.7 km and then the main parachutes will open at about two km, which will make the safe landing of the spacecraft possible.
Jitendra Singh said – Shubhanshu, you are welcome
On the undocking of the spacecraft, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh wrote in a post on social media – Shubhanshu, welcome! The whole country is eagerly waiting for you to come back home… because after successfully undocking Axiom-4, you are starting your return journey.
What did Shukla say at the farewell ceremony?
On Sunday July 14,2025 , the astronauts of Expedition-73 mission on the RASS organized a farewell ceremony for the Axiom-4 mission team. On this occasion, Shubhanshu Shukla said that we will meet soon on Earth. He also said that he had not imagined that he would experience so much at the beginning of this journey. This journey was unforgettable for him.
Talking about the picture of India from space, Shubhanshu Shukla said that after the India that Rakesh Sharma saw in the year 1984, now we are seeing that today’s India looks ambitious, fearless, confident and full of pride. This is the reason why I can still say ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha Hai Hamara Bharat’. His statement also reflects India’s changing space power.
ISRO had spent Rs 550 crore to send it to space
ISRO has spent about Rs 550 crore for this mission. This mission is considered to be a milestone for ISRO’s human space flight program ‘Gaganyaan’, which is to be launched in 2027. This experience of Shukla will prove to be very useful in preparing for that mission.
Rehab phase will be done after returning to Earth
After returning from space, Shukla and his team will have to undergo rehabilitation process for seven days to adapt to the gravity of the Earth. This is necessary to bring the body back to normal condition after living in a weightless environment. This entire process will be done under the supervision of scientists.
India’s new identity in space
This journey of Shubhanshu Shukla is not just a mission, but a symbol of India’s new space identity. He not only became the first Indian to go to the ISS, but he also showed that India has now joined the leading race of space exploration. Every Indian is eagerly waiting for his return.
Shubhanshu created history – Minister Jitendra Singh
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said on Sunday that Shubhanshu Shukla’s spacecraft will undock from the ISS at 4:30 pm today. He told that the experiments done by Shukla in space were completely based on indigenous kits and technology. These kits were made by institutions like India’s Department of Biotechnology, IISc Bangalore and IIT. These experiments related to life sciences and plantation will prove useful for the whole world.
