Shubhanshu Shukla, Axiom-4 Mission Crew Set for Return to Earth: Dragon Capsule Undocks Successfully

Axiom-4 Mission: Shubhanshu Shukla Begins Journey Back to Earth as SpaceX Capsule Undocks from ISS
 

After a delay of roughly half an hour, the SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), entering the Depart Burn 0 stage before the capsule enters the Depart Burn 1 stage. The capsule will then embark on a journey back to Earth.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule has successfully started the undocking process, leaving the International Space Station (ISS) for a day-long journey to Earth, where the capsule will make a splashdown off the coast of California. The splashdown is scheduled for around 3 pm IST on July 15.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule's undocking process will now begin at around 4:45 pm, as opposed to the original schedule of 4:15 pm. The undocking of the capsule will mark the first step in the journey of Shubhanshu Shukla, Peggy Whitson, Sławosz Uznański, and Tibor Kapu from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth. The splashdown is expected on July 15 at around 3 pm IST, with the agencies reporting favourable weather in California. The crew has been inside the capsule for over an hour, acclimatising to the environment before they start their descent from space to Earth after staying at the ISS for about 18 days.

Shukla, Whitson, Kapu, and Uznański were originally scheduled to bid farewell to the ISS on July 10, marking a 14-day stay in space conducting experiments. However, the ESA informed last week that the return of the Ax-4 mission crew was delayed due to unfavourable conditions at the splashdown site. Another reason why the agencies decided to extend the mission was pending experiments, which required more time for substantial results. Their return was, thus, pushed back to July 14 tentatively.

The Axiom-4 mission, commissioned by Axiom Space, a Houston, Texas-based space company, in partnership with NASA, ISRO (Indian Space and Research Organisation), and ESA (European Space Agency), had two aims: to facilitate commercial activities in space and foster international collaboration in space exploration. The astronauts conducted over 60 experiments at the ISS, including a myogenesis study, a bone health study, a sprouts project, an experiment on microalgae, and stem cell research, among others. The findings and results of these experiments will be crucial in formulating future space missions, as well as human well-being in both space and on Earth.

Shukla, who has created history by becoming the first astronaut from India to reach the ISS, shared a heartfelt message on Sunday, saying that today's India “looks ambitious from space.”

Read his full message: “41 years ago an Indian came to space and he told us how India looks from up above. Today’s India looks ambitious from space, today’s India looks fearless, today’s India looks confident, today’s India looks full of pride… today’s India still looks ‘saare jahan se acha'.”

Responding to his message, Shukla's mother, Asha Shukla, said, “If we had our way, we would rush to meet him there. But that is not possible. There is so much excitement… Today is a special day for Lord Shiv. We woke up early in the morning and went to the temple. We performed the Abhishek of Lord Shiv. We prayed to God that our child should come back safely and no harm should come to him after landing on earth."