Return journey of Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla & 3 other crew members of Axiom-4 mission to begin today

The return journey of Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members of the Axiom-4 mission will begin today. In a social media post, Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said, the undocking has been scheduled for today at 4:30 PM IST. He said, the crew will arrive back to earth tomorrow at around 3 PM IST.

 

After landing, Group Captain Shukla, along with other crew members, will undergo a 7-day rehabilitation programme under the supervision of the Flight Surgeons to adapt back to Earth’s gravity. Group Captain Shukla is on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station.

  

He became the first Indian to



visit the International Space Station and the second Indian astronaut after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who went to space in 1984. During the journey, Group Captain Shukla conducted seven India-specific experiments. In his farewell speech aboard ISS, Group Captain Shukla described his space journey as incredible.

  

Axiom-4 Mission, carrying Shukla, took off for the ISS on June 26. Along with Shukla, the mission had three mother astronauts – commander Peggy Whitson from the US, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu of Poland and Hungary. The SpaceX Falcon 9, carrying the crew, was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.