Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla begins journey back to Earth after historic Axiom-4 mission to ISS

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three international crewmates from the Axiom-4 mission have commenced their return journey to Earth after spending 18 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The crew undocked aboard the Dragon Grace spacecraft, marking the start of their 22-hour descent back to Earth.

The spacecraft is expected to splash down off the coast of California at 3 PM IST on Tuesday.

Before departure, Commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shubhanshu 'Shux' Shukla, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu were seen donning their flight suits and boarding the Dragon Grace capsule. The hatch connecting the spacecraft to the ISS was sealed at 2:37 PM, following which the crew conducted final system checks in preparation for reentry.

The mission was launched on June 25, when a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket lifted off from Florida, carrying the Dragon capsule and the four-member crew to the orbiting space station. This mission marked a notable return to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary after a gap of over 40 years.

Shukla recalled the time when his icon Rakesh Sharma had travelled to space 41 years ago and described how India looked from there.

"We all are still curious to know how India looks today from above. Aaj ka Bharat mahatvakanshi dikhta hai. Aaj ka Bharat nidar dikhta hai, Aaj ka Bharat confident dikhta hai. Aaj ka Bharat garv se purn dikhta hai. (Today's India looks full of ambition, fearless, confident and full of pride)," Shukla said.

"It is because of all these reasons, I can say it once again that today's India still looks 'saare jahan se accha'," he said.

A formal farewell ceremony on the ISS on Sunday was marked by brief remarks by the Ax-4 crew, some of whom appeared to have got emotional as they hugged the members of the Expedition 73 with whom new friendships were forged during the stay.

"I didn't imagine all of this when I started on the Falcon-9 on June 25. I think it has been incredible because of the people involved. People standing behind me (the Expedition 73 crew), have made it really special for us. It was an incredible joy to be here and work alongside professionals like you," Shukla said.

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.

It has been a historic trip for Shukla, who became the first Indian to travel to the ISS and only the second to travel to space after Sharma's pathbreaking spaceflight as part of the then Soviet Union's mission to Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

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.