Shubhanshu Shukla Starts Return Trip as SpaceX Dragon Undocks from Space Station

Shubhanshu Shukla Begins Journey Back to Earth After Historic Space Mission.

India’s Shubhanshu Shukla has begun his return journey to Earth after spending 18 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission. The SpaceX Dragon Grace spacecraft, carrying Shukla and three fellow astronauts, undocked from the ISS on Tuesday, starting a 22-hour descent. Splashdown is expected around 3 PM IST off the coast of California.

Alongside Shukla — the mission pilot — are Commander Peggy Whitson and Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary). The crew sealed the hatch at 2:37 PM IST before initiating final checks for departure.

Launched on June 25 via SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, the Axiom-4 mission marked the return of India, Poland, and Hungary to human spaceflight after more than four decades. Shukla becomes only the second Indian in space, following Rakesh Sharma’s iconic mission in 1984 aboard the Soviet Salyut-7 station.

On Monday, NASA’s Expedition Crew hosted a farewell ceremony aboard the ISS. Reflecting on the mission, Shukla said:

“One thing that sticks with me is what humanity is capable of when all of us come together from different parts of the world and work for a common goal. It is truly incredible.” The Axiom-4 mission, named Akash Ganga, is a collaboration between Axiom Space, NASA, and ISRO. It represents a major step forward for India’s space ambitions, including the upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight program and the proposed Bhartiya Antariksha Station.

During his stay, Shukla conducted seven India-specific microgravity experiments, collecting critical data for long-duration space travel and future planetary missions.