Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), is set to return to Earth on July 14 along with his Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crewmates. The undocking from the ISS is scheduled for 4:35 PM IST, with splashdown expected around 3 PM IST on July 15 in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast.
The 22-hour return journey aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will conclude their 18-day mission aboard the ISS.
The Ax-4 crew includes:
- Commander Peggy Whitson (Axiom Space),
- Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (Indian Space Research Organisation),
- Slawosz “Suave” Uznanski-Wisniewski (ESA, Poland), and
- Tibor Kapu (Hungarian HUNOR astronaut).
During their mission, the crew conducted over 60 scientific experiments across various fields including space health, plant biology, neurofeedback, and materials science.
Key highlights of the mission:
- Group Captain Shukla helped test Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) to evaluate their performance in microgravity—an effort critical to enabling diabetic individuals to participate in spaceflight.
- The Fruit Fly DNA Repair study explored genetic responses to space radiation.
- The VITAPRIC project examined growing nutrient-rich plants in space for future astronaut diets.
- Additional studies focused on heat transfer in spacesuit fabric, eye movement tracking, mental health monitoring, and neurological assessments using VR.
The crew will also bring back 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and scientific data.
A farewell ceremony with NASA’s Expedition 73 is scheduled for 7:25 PM IST on July 14, prior to the crew’s undocking.
Axiom Mission 4 launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on June 25 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with docking completed on June 26, marking a historic milestone for India’s presence in international human spaceflight.
