Shubhanshu Shukla returns to Earth, sets tone for India's human spaceflight

New Delhi: With waves and smiles, Shubhanshu Shukla returned to Earth on Tuesday after an 18-day stay on the International Space Station, a feat that holds the promise to herald India's own human spaceflight ambitions.

The Lucknow-born Shukla and three other astronauts of the private Axiom-4 mission splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the San Diego coast in California in the pre-dawn darkness at 2:31 am Pacific Time (3:01 pm IST) amid cheers from the citizens of India, literally on the other side of the world.

Shukla, a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force, became the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 sojourn as part of a Soviet Russian mission.

He also scripted history by becoming the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station with the longest stint -- 20 days -- in orbit around the Earth.

For India, Hungary and Poland, this mission has realised the return to human spaceflight, with astronauts from these countries travelling to space for the first time in more than 40 years.

The Dragon Grace spacecraft lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station on June 26 after a 28-hour journey.

Onboard the orbital laboratory, the Axiom-4 mission crew comprising Shukla, commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary spent the next 18 days conducting 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions.

Travelling at a speed of over 28,000 km per hour, the Dragon spacecraft, carrying the Axiom-4 crew members, executed a series of manoeuvres to gradually slow down and enter the Earth's atmosphere, braving intense heat before a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Minutes later, the Dragon spacecraft was hauled up over SpaceX's recovery ship 'Shannon', where Shukla and the other astronauts emerged from the spacecraft, smiling and waving at the cameras.

The astronauts were helped by the ground staff to get on their feet as they adapted to gravity on Earth after experiencing weightless conditions during their 20-day trip.

Soon after Shukla returned from the space odyssey, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space."The astronaut's parents, who watched the splashdown in Lucknow, heaved a sigh of relief as their son returned to Earth. While Shukla's father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, and mother Asha Devi wiped their tears, his sister, Suchi Misra, welcomed her brother's landing with moist eyes and folded hands.

"He has been to space and back, and we are all over the moon because this mission has its own importance for the country's Gaganyaan programme," Shambhu Dayal Shukla said.

ISRO had invested Rs 550 crore for the spaceflight, and the learnings from the mission are expected to help India fulfil its own human spaceflight ambitions – the Gaganyaan project, which is eyeing a 2027 lift-off.

The prime minister said that as India's first astronaut to have visited the International Space Station, Shukla has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit.

"It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission - Gaganyaan," Modi said in a post on X.

The Axiom-4 crew underwent 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.

ISRO said Shukla has successfully completed all seven microgravity experiments and other planned activities, achieving a significant milestone in the Axiom-4 mission.

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.