Shubhanshu Returns to Earth, Sets Tone for India's Human Spaceflight

PTI, NEW DELHI, JULY 15, 2025 : With waves and smiles, Shubhanshu Shukla returned to Earth on Tuesday after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), a milestone that holds immense promise for India's human spaceflight ambitions. The Lucknow-born astronaut, along with three other astronauts from the private Axiom-4 mission, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the San Diego coast in California at 2:31 am Pacific Time (3:01 pm IST). The return was met with cheers from citizens in 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 historic 1984 mission as part of a Soviet Russian program. Additionally, Shukla scripted history by becoming the first Indian to travel to the ISS, completing the longest stint — 20 days — in orbit around Earth.

For India, Hungary, and Poland, this mission marks the return of astronauts from these countries to space after more than 40 years. The Dragon spacecraft, which lifted off from Florida on June 25, docked with the ISS the following day, on June 26, after a 28-hour journey. During their 18-day stay in the orbital laboratory, the Axiom-4 mission crew, including Shukla, commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), conducted 60 experiments and 20 outreach sessions.

Travelling at speeds of over 28,000 km per hour, the Dragon spacecraft executed a series of maneuvers to gradually slow down before entering Earth's atmosphere, enduring intense heat before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Minutes after the splashdown, the spacecraft was hauled up onto SpaceX’s recovery ship, 'Shannon', where Shukla and the other astronauts emerged, smiling and waving at the cameras. Ground staff assisted the astronauts as they adapted to gravity on Earth after 20 days of weightlessness.

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.

ISRO had invested Rs 550 crore for the spaceflight, and the learnings from the mission are expected to help India fulfill 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.