From Orbit To Ocean: Shubhanshu Shukla's Epic 23-Hour Splashdown Journey Home | 10 Points

Shubhanshu Shukla's participation in the Axiom-4 Mission made him the second Indian astronaut to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s mission in 1984. The Astronaut, along with his Ax-4 crew, is on his journey back to Earth and is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3:01 pm IST

Shubhanshu Shukla in space on Axiom-4 Mission (Photo Credit: IANS (L), @JonnyKimUSA/X (R))

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to return to Earth on Tuesday, concluding his historic mission under Axiom Space’s Ax-4 program. His return is a proud moment for India and a significant step in the country’s growing presence in global space exploration. 

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS). 

Here are the key points from Shubhanshu Shukla's trip to ISS:

1- After an 18-day stay aboard the orbital laboratory, Shukla and his three international crewmates are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3:01 pm IST (4:31 am CT).

2- Shukla, along with astronauts Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), boarded SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft "Grace" at 3:30 am CT (2 pm IST) on Monday.

3- The spacecraft undocked from the ISS’s Harmony module at 4:45 pm IST (7:15 am ET). 

4- NASA had confirmed that the hatch closure occurred at 5:07 am EDT, and SpaceX announced “Dragon separation confirmed” shortly afterward via the social media platform X.

"Dragon is GO to undock from the Space Station," SpaceX informed in a post.

"Dragon separation confirmed!" the post added.

5- This marks the completion of a nearly 23-hour return trip to Earth. 

6- Upon splashdown, the crew will be retrieved by recovery teams, and Shubhanshu Shukla will then begin a 7-day rehabilitation protocol to readjust to Earth’s gravity.

7- Shubhanshu Shukla’s mission originally spanned 14 days but was extended to 18. This allowed additional scientific research and collaborative work aboard the station.

8- In a touching farewell message from orbit, Shukla described his experience as “an incredible journey,” expressing deep gratitude to ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX. “India still looks better than the whole world,” he remarked, gazing down from the cupola of the ISS.

9- The live coverage of the event is likely to be broadcast on Axiom Space's official X handle and NASA's YouTube channel.  

10- Union Minister Jitendra Singh in a post on X wrote, "Welcome back Shubhanshu! The entire nation eagerly awaits your arrival back home...as you begin your return journey, after successful undocking of #Axiom4."

On Sunday, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla delivered a farewell speech from the ISS and said, "Aaj ka Bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se acha dikhta hai" (Today's India is still more splendid than the entire world)."

Shubhanshu Shukla's participation in the Axiom-4 Mission made him the second Indian astronaut to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s mission in 1984.

(with IANS inputs)