Axiom-4 return: 22.5-hour journey underway as Dragon spacecraft detaches from ISS, splashdown expected on Tuesday

Axiom-4 pilot Shubhanshu “Shux” Shukla on Monday began piloting the Dragon spacecraft in its 22.5-hour journey back towards the Earth, following the end of an intensive 18-day stay at the International Space Station (ISS).

Shukla is one out of a four-member crew comprising Commander Peggy Whitson from NASA, as well as Mission Specialists Slawosz "Suave" Uznanski-Wisniewski (ESA) and Tibor Kapu (HUNOR).

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After boarding the Dragon spacecraft at around 4:20 PM (IST), the undocking process had been completed 45 minutes later, according to the live visual feed relayed from Axiom Space mission control.

After a 22.5-hour flight, it is expected to splashdown off the coast of California on July 15, at around 3 PM (IST). A splashdown is a water landing—typically in a water body—that utilises parachutes for descent, instead of complex landing gear that would add to the weight of the spacecraft.

“Water acts as a natural cushion, reducing the impact force on astronauts compared to a hard ground landing,” NASA has said. The splashdown method was most recently used by NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore in their return to the Earth earlier this year.

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“Post splashdown, the Gaganyatri will undergo a rehabilitation program (about seven days) under supervision of Flight Surgeon to adapt back to Earth’s gravity,” an ISRO update said.

Addressing the world at Sunday's formal farewell ceremony relayed from the ISS, Shukla had declared that India looked full of ambition, fearless, confident and full of pride from space.

"Even today, Bharat looks 'saare jahan se accha' from above," Shukla said, a reference to the iconic patriotic words of Muhammad Iqbal—which India's first astronaut in space, Rakesh Sharma, once famously quoted.

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Along with the seven-member crew of NASA's Expedition 73, the Axiom-4 crew conducted extensive research on medicine, agriculture, and space exploration, making it the most research-intensive Axiom mission till date.

The spacecraft will therefore bring back more than 250kg of cargo, which includes equipment and samples from the 60-plus experiments conducted at the ISS, the NASA has said.

"Today again we are feeling the same emotions that we had on the day he (Shukla) went for the mission. We will celebrate a lot when he comes back," said Shukla's sister, Shuchi Mishra, as per an NDTV report.

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