New Delhi, Jul 15: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS), is set to return to Earth on Tuesday, marking the end of a historic mission under Axiom Space’s Ax-4 program.

After an extraordinary 18-day stay aboard the orbital laboratory, Shukla and his three international crewmates are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3:01 p.m. IST (4:31 AM CT).

Shukla, along with fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), boarded SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft "Grace" at 3:30 a.m. CT (2 PM IST) on Monday.

The spacecraft undocked from the ISS’s Harmony module at 7:15 a.m. ET (4:45 p.m. IST).

NASA confirmed the hatch closure occurred at 5:07 a.m. EDT, and SpaceX announced “Dragon separation confirmed” shortly afterward via its official X account.

"Dragon is GO to undock from the Space Station," SpaceX said in a post on X.

"Dragon separation confirmed!" the post added.

This marks the completion of a nearly 23-hour return journey. Upon splashdown, the crew will be retrieved by recovery teams and Shukla will then begin a 7-day rehabilitation protocol to readjust to Earth’s gravity after spending over two weeks in microgravity.

Shukla’s mission originally spanned 14 days but was extended to 18, allowing for additional scientific research and collaborative work aboard the station. His participation in the Ax-4 mission makes him only the second Indian astronaut to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s legendary mission in 1984.

In a touching farewell message from orbit, Shukla described his experience as “an incredible journey,” expressing deep gratitude to ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX. “India still looks better than the whole world,” he remarked, gazing down from the cupola of the ISS.

Shukla’s return today is a proud moment for India and a significant step in the country’s growing presence in global space exploration.

(IANS)

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