'Will Give Him Grand Welcome With...': Axiom-4 Mission Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's Mother On His Return To Earth From Space

As news broke of the undocking of the Axiom-4 mission from the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for July 14, Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Group Captain of the mission, is set to receive a grand welcome at home upon his return to Earth.

Shukla's mother, Asha Shukla, has planned an elaborate celebration for her son, who has made the nation proud.

Speaking to ANI in Lucknow, Shubhanshu's hometown, Asha Shukla said, “We pray to God that he completes his mission successfully, returns to Earth soon, and meets us...We will give him a grand welcome with 'phool mala' and 'band baja'.”

The Group Captain’s father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, also expressed joy as their wait to see their son comes to an end.

“Tomorrow, July 14, the undocking will take place at around 4:30 PM, and on July 15, he will return to Earth. We were waiting for this, so we are happy that he is coming back. We pray to God that he returns safely,” he told ANI.

Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station, is set to return to Earth tomorrow, July 14, along with his crewmates from Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).

The crew is scheduled to undock from the ISS at around 4:35 PM IST, with splashdown expected in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at approximately 3:00 PM IST on Tuesday, July 15.

Union Minister of State for Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, confirmed this in a post on X.

The return journey aboard the Dragon spacecraft will take around 22 hours, concluding their nearly 18-day mission aboard the ISS.

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 HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu.

Ahead of undocking, a farewell ceremony for the crew members is scheduled for July 13 at 7:25 PM IST, Axiom stated in a post on X.

The Dragon spacecraft will return 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 Center 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.

During the mission, the Ax-4 crew conducted a wide range of research activities aimed at advancing scientific studies, testing new technologies, and supporting global outreach efforts in space exploration, Axiom Space's blog observed.

On Tuesday, the crew held microgravity research. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla conducted three experiments. In the first instance, he worked on the sprouts project to study how microgravity affects germination and early plant development. On return to Earth, the seeds will be cultivated over several generations to examine changes in their genetics, microbial ecosystems, and nutritional profiles.

In another experiment, he deployed and stowed microalgae, which are being investigated for their potential to produce food, oxygen, and even biofuels. Their resilience and versatility make them ideal for supporting human life on long-duration missions, Axiom Space's blog observed.

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