Dragon Spacecraft Undocks from ISS, Captain Shubhanshu Shukla Set to Splash Downoff California Coast
After multiple delays, Group Captain Shukla embarked on his historic journey to space aboard Axiom Mission 4
Dragon Spacecraft Undocks from ISS, Captain Shubhanshu Shukla Set to Splash Down off California Coast
Dragon Spacecraft Undocks from ISS: The Dragon spacecraft has officially undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), marking the beginning of the return journey for Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts from the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).
Group Captain Shukla and the Ax-4 crew are expected to splash down off the coast of California tomorrow, after completing an 18-day stay aboard the ISS.
"Dragon separation confirmed!" SpaceX announced on X (formerly Twitter).
In a follow-up post, the company added, “The spacecraft will now execute a series of departure burns to move away from the Space Station. Dragon will reenter the Earth's atmosphere and splash down in approximately 22.5 hours off the coast of California.”
"The first stage of the final phase is complete, so we’re a bit relaxed. We’ll be fully at ease once the landing is successfully completed," Suchi Mishra, sister of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla told PTI.
After multiple delays, Group Captain Shukla embarked on his historic journey to space aboard Axiom Mission 4, which launched successfully at 2:31 a.m. EDT (0631 GMT) on June 25, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Shubhanshu Shukla is India’s second national astronaut to travel to space, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984.
Originally scheduled for June 11, the Ax-4 mission was postponed by about two weeks due to unfavorable high-altitude wind conditions, as confirmed in a SpaceX report.
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