What a proud day! 🎉
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has safely returned to Earth after a historic 18‑day mission aboard the ISS as pilot of Axiom Mission‑4 (Ax‑4). He splashed down off the coast of San Diego on July 15, 2025, at around 3:01 PM IST, accompanied by Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), and astronauts from Poland and Hungary .
Key highlights of his mission:
Scientific contributions: The SpaceX Dragon capsule “Grace” brought back over 580 lb of science gear and data from 60+ experiments spanning 31 countries — including muscle atrophy, crop resilience, microbial adaptation, cognitive studies, and more .
Landmark for India: Shukla is the first Indian astronaut to live and work aboard the ISS (the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984), and the first under a commercial spaceflight program .
Boost to India’s space ambitions: The mission’s success provides invaluable operational insights — crew-ground coordination, health telemetry, experiment management — directly feeding into ISRO’s Gaganyaan programme, set for its first crewed flight in 2027 .
National acclaim:
Prime Minister Modi, President Murmu, and Minister Rajnath Singh, among others, extended heartfelt congratulations, hailing Shukla’s journey as an inspiration to “1.4 billion Indians” and a milestone for India’s space aspirations .
His family in Lucknow celebrated emotionally — tears of joy, prayers, and even cake awaited him — a heartwarming homecoming .
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🚀 What’s next for Captain Shukla—and India?
1. Rehabilitation: Standard 7‑day reconditioning to readapt to Earth’s gravity .
2. Gaganyaan: ISRO’s first crewed mission, planned for 2027, now benefits from Shukla’s real-world experience during Ax‑4 .
3. Commercial momentum: With Axiom Space scaling private ISS missions, collaborations between ISRO, NASA, SpaceX, and private partners grow stronger .
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🥳 Inspiring a billion dreams, Captain Shukla’s mission marks a pivotal chapter in India’s journey to self-reliant human spaceflight. Congratulations to him and cheers to Bharat's rising star in space!
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