Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members of the Axiom-4 mission will return to Earth today after spending 18 days at the International Space Station (ISS). They departed from the orbiting laboratory ISS yesterday, onboard the SpaceX Dragon for an approximately 22-hour journey to Earth. The splashdown is expected to take place off the coast of California in the US at 3 pm IST today.
Axiom-4 mission’s space odyssey began on June 25 when the Falcon-9 rocket carrying the Dragon space capsule blasted off from Florida towards the ISS. Group Captain Shukla is only the second Indian to have gone to space. His trip came 41 years after cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma flew aboard a Russian Soyuz in 1984. During his stay aboard the ISS, Mr Shukla conducted seven India-specific microgravity experiments, showcasing India’s growing capabilities in space science and technology. These experiments are designed to generate critical data for future planetary missions and long-duration space habitation. On Sunday, NASA’s Expedition Crew organised a traditional farewell ceremony for the Axiom-4 crew. Speaking at the farewell ceremony, Mr Shukla described his space journey as truly incredible.
This mission, dubbed Akash Ganga, is a collaborative effort between Axiom Space, NASA, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It represents a significant step forward in India’s human spaceflight ambitions, including the upcoming Gaganyaan mission and the proposed Bhartiya Antariksha Station.
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