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Last Updated:July 15, 2025, 14:42 IST
Shubhanshu Shukla Return To Earth Live Updates: The Dragon spacecraft is expected to splash down near the coast of California on Tuesday at 3.01 pm IST.
Shukla and three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission began their return journey to Earth on Monday.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return To Earth LIVE Updates: Indian astronaut and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to return to Earth after spending nearly three weeks in space. The hatch has closed, and the astronauts now wait to undock from the space station and begin their journey home.
Shukla and three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission began their return journey to Earth on Monday as the Dragon Grace spacecraft undocked from the Space Station after an 18-day stay.
Following a series of orbital manoeuvres after undocking, the Dragon spacecraft is expected to splash down near the coast of California on Tuesday at 3.01 pm IST.
This mission not only marks Shukla as the second Indian astronaut in space, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984, but also positions India as a serious contender in the global space community.
Shukla and three others, Axiom 4 (Ax-4) crew Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialists Slawosz “Suave” Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu embarked on the space odyssey on June 25 from Florida.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Dragon’s De-Orbit Burn Complete
Dragon’s deorbit burn is complete and the trunk has been jettisoned.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Dragon Module 330 Km From Earth
The Dragon Module is just 330 km away from Earth. The splashdown is set to take place on the scheduled time, 3:01 pm.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: 'We're Very Excited,' Says Subhanshu Shukla's Mother
Upon reaching Subhanshu Shukla’s school to watch the splashdown, his mother Asha Shukla said, “The landing will take place shortly. We are very excited…”
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: De-Orbit Burn To Be Initiated Shortly, Expected To Last For 18 Minutes
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: 'India Looks Grand,' Says Shubhanshu Shukla From Space
From the very beginning as he reached ISS on June 25, his voice carried a tone of wonder and patriotism. Reflecting on his first impressions after docking at the ISS, he remarked, “It has been an incredible journey. It has been made amazing because of the people who are involved.” He described the view of India from orbit as breathtaking, stating, “India looks grand and bigger from space than it does on the map.” READ MORE
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Shubhanshu Shukla Gets Haircut In Space
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has become the first Indian to get a haircut in micro-gravity. American astronaut Nichole Ayers was seen giving Shukla a hairdo in space.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: How Astronauts Take Pictures In Space?
The video was shared by Colonel Anne McClain, in which the struggles of astronauts to pose mid-air on the Axiom-4 mission were captured.
How do we take group photos in space? We cannot ask a passerby for help, so we set up a camera to take a photo every 5 seconds, get in position, then stop to smile at the camera. Looks a little chaotic, but it works! pic.twitter.com/0pJpj0o0gE
— COL Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) July 14, 2025
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Ax-4 Crew on Board Dragon Spacecraft On Track For Touchdown At 3 PM
According to a post on X by SpaceX, the crew, aboard its Dragon spacecraft are on track to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, with their arrival to be announced with a “brief sonic boom” ahead of their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: 'Proud That Our Son Wrote His Name In History,' Says Shubanshu Shukla's Mother
Ahead of the splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft led by Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla, mother Asha Shukla stated that she was extremely proud of her son whose name had now been written in history.
While speaking to news agency ANI, Asha Shukla said, “We are very excited… When we saw the undocking, we knew he was on his way now… We are waiting for our son. He will reach by evening. We prayed for his well-being. We went to the temple and took Hanumaji’s Darshan. We did a Sundarkand recitation… We are proud that our son wrote his name in history… We will give him a grand welcome…”
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: 'Learnt Several Lessons,' Says Shukla On His Axiom-4 Journey
In response to the question of how the Axiom-4 mission can support India’s objectives for its ambitious Gaganyaan program—the nation’s first scheduled crewed mission scheduled for 2027—Shukla stated that he had learnt several lessons that he would immediately apply to India’s spaceflight endeavours.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Why Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 Mission Holds Importance For India?
ISRO paid approximately Rs 550 crore for Shukla’s travel to the ISS, an experience that will help the space agency in the planning and execution of its human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, set to take to orbit in 2027.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: When Is The Indian Astronaut Landing On Earth Today?
According to SpaceX, Dragon and the Axiom Ax-4 crew are on track to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down off the coast of San Diego at 2.31 pm PT on Tuesday.
As per the Indian time zone, Shukla would splash down at 3.01 pm IST.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: What Happens Before India’s Joint ISS Mission Begins Its Fiery Descent?
After a year-long intensive training programme culminating in 18 days aboard the Space Station (ISS), India’s first-ever joint mission to the ISS entered its final leg with the departure of the four crew members. The mission involved nearly Rs 550 crore investment from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). READ MORE
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: What Are The Preparations Being Done?
Final preparations include detaching the capsule’s trunk (at 2:26 pm IST) and orienting the heat shield ahead of atmospheric entry, which will expose the spacecraft to temperatures nearing 1,600 degrees Celsius.
Parachutes will deploy in two stages — first stabilising chutes at about 5.7 km altitude at 2:57 pm IST, followed by the main parachutes at roughly two km before splashdown.
The spacecraft will be hauled up on a special recovery ship where the astronauts will be brought out from the capsule.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Axiom-4 Crew Expected To Spend 7 Days In Rehabilitation
The Axiom-4 crew will undergo a series of medical checks on board the ship before boarding a helicopter for a ride back to the shore.
The four astronauts are expected to spend seven days in rehabilitation as they adjust back to life on Earth under the influence of gravity, unlike the weightlessness experienced in orbit.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: When Did The Axiom-4 Undocked The Station?
The Dragon ‘Grace’ spacecraft carrying Subhanshu Shukla, commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, undocked from the space station at 4:45 pm IST on Monday.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: When Will The Axiom-4 Crew Land On Earth?
The Dragon spacecraft is expected to splash down near the coast of California on Tuesday at 3.01 pm IST.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: How Long Was Shubhanshu Shukla’s Space Mission?
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s mission involved an 18-day stay at the Space Station (ISS).
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: 'It's Great To Be In Space,' Says Group Captain Shubanha Shukla
Ahead of his return to earth, Group Captain Shubanha Shukla in an interview to CNN said, “I’m the mission pilot for AI4 mission, and I think it is great to be in space. It was kind of a cycle. I would say initially, one or two days were not so good. You were kind of adjusting to microgravity, but after that, it grows on you every day, and the longer you stay, the more you like it.”
“And it is so much fun being here, looking back at the earth and just enjoying all the different settings and environments of space,” he added.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Shubhanshu Shukla Completes 7 Experiments On ISS, Says ISRO
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has successfully completed all seven microgravity experiments and other planned activities, achieving a significant milestone in the Axiom-4 mission, ISRO said on Monday.
It said that experiments on the Indian strain of Tardigrades, Myogenesis, Sprouting of methi and moong seeds, Cyanobacteria, Microalgae, Crop seeds and Voyager Display have been completed as planned.
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Why His Space Trip Marks A Historic Milestone For India?
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) views Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s space trip as a crucial milestone towards its ambitious Gaganyaan programme, India’s first planned crewed mission set for 2027. READ MORE
Shubhanshu Shukla Return to Earth LIVE: Axiom-4 Crew To Return To Earth Today
The Axiom-4 crew, including India’s Subhanshu Shukla, began their return journey to Earth on Monday as the Dragon Grace spacecraft undocked from the Space Station after an 18-day stay.
