Shubhanshu Shukla's homecoming | Axiom-4 crew to undock from ISS today, splashdown on July 15; when & where to watch

Shubhanshu Shukla and team will be wrapping up their 18-day stay at the International Space Station (ISS) . The Axiom 4 (Ax-4) crew Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu embarked on the space odyssey on June 25 from Florida and docked at the ISS on June 26.

Here is all you need to know about their return and when and where to watch it.

Axiom-4 to undock on Monday:

Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said the Axiom-4 mission is scheduled to undock from the ISS at 4:35 pm IST on Monday.

So far, they have spent 18 days in space, witnessing 16 sunrises and sunsets every day as the ISS travels at a speed of 28,000 km per hour in an orbit about 400 km above the Earth.

The undocking of Axiom-4 can will be live streamed on official website and YouTube channel of NASA.

The live streaming will end after 30 minutes after the undocking.

Shukla and the three other astronauts are expected to board the spacecraft at 2:25 pm IST, wear their space suits and carry out the necessary tests before they return.

Schedule of Splashdown:

The splashdown of Axiom-4 is expected to happen on July 15 at 5:31 am ET which is 3:01 IST.

Viewers can watch the live coverage on Axiom Space website, and also the official X account of SpaceX.

The ISS is orbiting the Earth at a speed of 28,000 km per hour, and the Dragon spacecraft will initiate the autonomous undocking process to gradually slow down and re-enter the planet's atmosphere for a splashdown off the coast of California.

The crew collected data for a study to explore how astronauts perceive and interact with their environment in orbit, which is critical for designing mentally supportive habitats for long-duration missions.

(With PTI inputs)