The Axiom-4 crew, including Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, safely returned to Earth after an 18-day ISS mission. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft made a smooth splashdown near San Diego on July 15, concluding a historic journey for India, Poland, and Hungary. The mission marked Shukla as the second Indian to visit the ISS after Rakesh Sharma.
Shubhanshu Shukla gets off from Dragon Spacecraft. Pic.PTI
The Axiom-4 crew, which took off from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on 25 June 2025, has officially returned to Earth after 18 days, concluding their successful mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Shubhanshu Shukla, along with his four other members, including commander Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu, has successfully splashed down in the Dragon spacecraft on Earth’s surface, marking the end of their successful Axiom-4 mission.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft made a smooth splashdown at the designated landing zone in San Diego, bringing the astronauts safely back after a groundbreaking journey focused on research, collaboration, and commercial space exploration.
Welcome back to Earth, #Ax4! Today the Dragon spacecraft successfully splashed down marking the end of their successful mission to the International Space Station. pic.twitter.com/eeAyPCmWgG
— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) July 15, 2025
The return of the Dragon spacecraft was closely monitored by the space authorities NASA and SpaceX. Along with close monitoring, the landing was executed with precision, with recovery teams swiftly reaching the Dragon capsule following the splashdown, successfully concluding the Axiom-4 mission.
The Dragon spacecraft landed on Earth’s surface at around 3:00 pm on Tuesday in San Diego, California. Earlier on 14 July, the spacecraft undocked from the Harmony module of the International Space Station (ISS) at approximately 7:05 am EDT (4:35 pm IST).
The descent of the Dragon spacecraft from the International Space Station (ISS) was intended to be totally autonomous. After undocking, the Dragon spacecraft conducted a series of engine burns to securely separate from the ISS and commence re-entry procedures.
The final preparations included disconnecting the capsule's trunk and positioning the heat shield for atmospheric entry, which exposed the spacecraft to temperatures approaching 1,600 degrees Celsius.
Soon after the spacecraft went through atmospheric entry, parachutes were deployed in two stages: stabilising chutes, followed by primary parachutes on the spacecraft.
Furthermore, the splashdown was expected off the coast of California approximately 22.5 hours after undocking, and the space capsule was recovered by a specialised ship.
The Axiom-4 mission marked the return to space for India, Poland, and Hungary after over four decades. With the success of this astonishing space mission, Shubhanshu Shukla has become the only Indian to complete a successful mission at the International Space Station.
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