The Journey of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the Ax-4 Crew Comes to an End
After spending nearly 18 days aboard the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4), Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, is set to undock from the space station today. This marks a significant moment in space exploration and highlights the growing global collaboration in space missions.
The departure operations will begin with the hatch closing at 4:30 am EDT or 2:00 PM IST on Monday. The crew will then enter the spacecraft at 4:55 am EDT or 2:25 PM IST, followed by another hatch closing. The actual undocking is scheduled for approximately 6:45 am EDT or 4:15 PM IST, with the undocking process expected to be completed around 7:05 am EDT or 4:30 PM IST.
NASA will broadcast the entire process, with coverage ending approximately 30 minutes after undocking. Following this, Axiom Space and SpaceX will continue to provide updates on the Dragon Grace spacecraft’s re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere and its splashdown off the coast of California in the Pacific Ocean. This is expected to occur around 3 PM IST on Tuesday, July 15.
According to Axiom Space, the return journey will take approximately 22.5 hours, marking the end of the crew’s mission aboard the orbiting laboratory. The Ax-4 crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz “Suave” Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu. During their time on the ISS, they have been actively involved in research and outreach activities.
Group Captain Shukla delivered a heartfelt farewell speech from the ISS on Sunday, reflecting on the significance of his journey. He quoted the words of Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, saying, “Aaj ka Bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se acha dikhta hai” (Today’s India is still more splendid than the entire world). He added, “Aaj ka bharat space se mahatvakaanshi dikhta hai, aaj ka bharat space se nidar dikhta hai, aaj ka bharat confident dikhta hai, aaj ka bharat garv se poorn dikhta hai aur inhi sab kaarano ki vajah se aaj mai fir se keh sakta hoon ki aaj ka bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se acha dikhta hai” (Today’s India looks ambitious from space. Today’s India looks fearless, confident, and full of pride).
Shukla expressed his gratitude to the people of ISRO, NASA, international partners, Axiom Space, and SpaceX for making this journey possible. He highlighted the incredible experience of working with professionals from around the world and the mission’s far-reaching impact.
The Dragon spacecraft will return to Earth with over 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from more than 60 experiments conducted during the mission. Axiom Mission 4 was launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS on June 26 at 4:05 pm IST, ahead of schedule, connecting to the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.
