First Indian astronaut to visit ISS comes back to Earth

(MENAFN) Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), has safely returned to Earth, SpaceX announced on Tuesday. The Crew Dragon Grace capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, where recovery teams promptly retrieved the crew and conducted medical evaluations.

Shukla, a group captain in the Indian Air Force, piloted the four-member Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew, marking the end of an 18-day mission dedicated to scientific research. During their stay on the ISS, the team carried out over 60 experiments in fields such as agriculture, healthcare, water systems, and human physiology in microgravity. The spacecraft took approximately 22.5 hours to return after undocking on Monday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised Shukla’s achievement, noting that his mission has “inspired a billion dreams” and represents a key step towards India’s upcoming human spaceflight project, Gaganyaan, set for 2027.

Shukla is the first Indian in space since Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. Selected by India’s Department of Space for Ax-4, Shukla underwent extensive training alongside his fellow crew members at Russia’s Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center starting in 2020.

Ax-4’s re-entry mirrored the procedure followed by astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who returned in March aboard SpaceX’s Freedom capsule, landing in the Atlantic.

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