On July 15, 2025, the SpaceX Dragon “Grace” capsule carrying the four-member Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew—including Indian Air Force pilot and ISRO “Gaganyatri” Shubhanshu Shukla—safely returned to Earth. The capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California, at around 3:03 PM IST (5:32 AM EDT), concluding a groundbreaking 18-day private mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS)
The Ax-4 mission represented significant milestones:
First time an Indian astronaut, Shubhanshu Shukla, visited the ISS via a private mission, making history for India.
The flight also marked the first government-backed crewed space missions to the ISS for Hungary and Poland.
This was SpaceX’s second Pacific splashdown for a crewed spacecraft, reflecting evolving recovery protocols.
The Ax-4 crew comprised Shubhanshu Shukla (India), Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland), Tibor Kapu (Hungary), and mission commander Peggy Whitson (USA), a veteran NASA astronaut who further extended her record for most cumulative days spent in space by an American.
The journey back to Earth began on July 14, when the Dragon spacecraft undocked from the ISS’s Harmony module at 7:15 AM EDT (4:45 PM IST). After a 22.5-hour freeflight, Dragon underwent a precise deorbit burn and atmospheric reentry. Its descent sequence included drogue and main parachute deployments before a successful ocean splashdown.
Shubhanshu Shukla’s participation is a source of national pride—the culmination of rigorous ISRO selection and training, as well as international partnership. During the mission:
Shukla conducted seven microgravity experiments developed by Indian research institutions, focusing on muscle and tissue regeneration, crop and algae growth, microbe survivability, cognitive performance, and cyanobacteria behavior—all critical for future long-duration human spaceflight.
The mission motivates India’s upcoming human spaceflight ambitions—especially ISRO’s Gaganyaan program slated for 2027.
Shukla documented the mission extensively, capturing vivid imagery and video of life in microgravity and representing India by flying the national flag aboard the ISS.
After splashdown, the Ax-4 crew, including Shukla, entered a structured medical evaluation conducted by Axiom Space and ISRO flight surgeons, encompassing cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and psychological assessments over the coming week.
Shukla is expected to return to India by mid-August for welcome events, additional health checks, and a comprehensive debrief with ISRO and research partners.
Axiom-4 not only marks a new era of private astronaut missions but also boosts space science and international cooperation. For India, Shubhanshu Shukla’s space journey spotlights the nation’s rapidly growing role in human spaceflight and paves the way for next-generation missions and research.
