First Video of Shubhanshu Shukla Coming Out of Dragon Capsule After Successful Splashdown And Return from Historic Space Mission

San Diego: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the Axiom-4 crew have safely returned to Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, at around 3:01 PM IST on July 15, 2025. Their return marks the successful completion of an 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Visuals from the recovery operation show the astronauts emerging from SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, supported by quick-responding recovery teams who confirmed the capsule was stable upon splashdown.

Shukla, now the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission, was joined by fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary).

Throughout the mission, Shukla served as the pilot, engaging in critical scientific research, educational activities, and international experiments. The Dragon capsule brought back more than 580 pounds of equipment and data from over 60 scientific investigations.

Launched on June 25 via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the Ax-4 mission docked with the ISS the following day. The mission not only demonstrated smooth global collaboration but also marked a key milestone in the strengthening of Indo-US ties in space exploration.

With this successful journey, Shubhanshu Shukla cements his place in India’s space legacy representing a bold step forward in the nation’s ambitions for human spaceflight.

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