President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday warmly welcomed Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla back to Earth after the successful completion of the Axiom-4 mission. She described the mission as a landmark in India’s space exploration and a significant step in fostering international collaboration in science and technology.
In a post on X, President Murmu wrote, “A hearty welcome to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he comes back on Earth after his space journey. His role in piloting of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station has created a new milestone for India's space exploration as well as for international collaboration in science and technology. My congratulations to everyone involved in this mission.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his congratulations to the Indian Air Force officer, praising his pioneering spirit and dedication. PM Modi wrote on X, “I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space. As India's first astronaut to have visited the International Space Station (ISS), he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit.” He further noted that the mission marked “another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission – Gaganyaan.”
Group Captain Shukla, who served as the pilot of the Axiom-4 mission, returned to Earth after spending 18 days aboard the ISS. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, named ‘Grace’, safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, completing the nearly 19-day journey. The splashdown occurred after a successful deorbit burn and jettisoning of the spacecraft’s trunk, as confirmed by SpaceX. Shukla, affectionately called “Shux” by his crew, was seen smiling and waving to the camera as he exited the Dragon spacecraft following splashdown. The re-entry process took approximately 22.5 hours from the time of undocking from the ISS.
Also Read: Welcome home! Axiom-4 with Shubhanshu Shukla splashes down
The undocking took place on Monday at 7:15 am EDT (4:45 pm IST) from the space-facing port of the ISS’s Harmony module. The mission was the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory conducted by Axiom Space in collaboration with NASA. Axiom Space, in its live updates and briefings, shared that the Ax-4 crew conducted over 60 scientific experiments and participated in more than 20 public outreach events during their stay. These experiments spanned various fields, including biology, material science, and space technology.
The crew of Axiom-4 included Commander Peggy Whitson from the United States, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla representing the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary under the HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) programme. NASA stated that the Dragon spacecraft returned with over 580 pounds of cargo, including important hardware and scientific data from the mission. This included materials from more than 60 experiments conducted aboard the ISS.
The Axiom-4 mission was launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS on June 26 at 4:05 pm IST, ahead of schedule, attaching to the space-facing port of the Harmony module. Group Captain Shukla’s historic journey not only marked India's return to human spaceflight after four decades—following Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission with the Soviet Union—but also brought real-time spaceflight experience and international exposure to India’s own Gaganyaan programme.
Also Read: PM welcomes Shux on return from space, hails Gaganyaan boost
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