After an extraordinary 18-day stay aboard the orbital laboratory, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to reach International Space Station (ISS), is set to return to Earth on Tuesday. This marks the end of a historic mission under Axiom Space’s Ax-4 program. Shukla and his three international crewmates are scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3:01 p.m. IST (4:31 AM CT). Shukla, along with fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), boarded SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft "Grace" at 3:30 a.m. CT (2 PM IST) on Monday. To Welcome Shubanshu Shukla's return to earth, India's PM Narendra Modi will be there to welcome .
Pm Modi posted on X saying, " I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space. As India’s first astronaut to have visited International Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit. It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission - Gaganyaan."
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Shukla’s mission originally spanned 14 days but was extended to 18, allowing for additional scientific research and collaborative work aboard the station. His participation in the Ax-4 mission makes him only the second Indian astronaut to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s legendary mission in 1984.
In a touching farewell message from orbit, Shukla described his experience as “an incredible journey,” expressing deep gratitude to ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX. “India still looks better than the whole world,” he remarked, gazing down from the cupola of the ISS.