Axiom Mission 4: India awaits Shubhanshu Shukla’s epic return to Earth

The Axiom-4 space mission is very special for India. It carried Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to go to space after Rakesh Sharma. Along with him were three other astronauts—Peggy Whitson from the USA, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

After living and working for 18 days on the International Space Station (ISS), they began their journey back to Earth on July 14, 2025, inside a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named ‘Grace’. Their landing back on Earth—called splashdown—has been scheduled for 3.01 pm IST on July 15 in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California. This return is carefully planned to make sure the astronauts and the scientific experiments they bring are safe.

The first step is called undocking, when the spacecraft leaves the ISS. On July 14, at around 4.45 pm IST, the astronauts entered their spacecraft and closed the hatch. By 4.35 pm IST, the spacecraft was fully ready and received the signal to undock.

Small rocket engines then gently pushed it away from the space station at a speed of about 0.1 km/h to ensure a safe separation. This step ensures the spacecraft safely moves out of a 4-kilometre by 2-kilometre safety zone around the ISS, known as the approach ellipsoid—an invisible boundary that protects the space station during any vehicle’s arrival or departure. Once the spacecraft exits this boundary, it is considered safely away from the ISS.

Now free from the station, the spacecraft began its long 22.5-hour journey back to Earth. During their stay, the astronauts had travelled around the Earth more than 310 times—each orbit taking about 90 minutes—and covered a total distance of over 1.3 crore kilometres. That’s the full journey their spacecraft completed while circling our planet in low Earth orbit before re-entry.

Once it left the ISS, the Dragon spacecraft entered what is called free flight. It kept circling Earth at a speed of nearly 28,000 kilometres per hour and remained around 400 kilometres above the surface. For the next 22 hours, the spacecraft flew around the Earth while teams at SpaceX and Axiom Space tracked its path and made small changes to make sure it was heading towards the correct spot in the ocean for landing. During this time, Shubhanshu and the team prepared for the tough return, checking all systems and strapping themselves safely into their seats.

“The re-entry part is the most dangerous. About 50 minutes before splashdown, the spacecraft fires its engines to slow down from 28,000 km/h to about 27,000 km/h and fall back to Earth. At this point, it is still flying at 27,000 kilometres per hour from an altitude of 400 kilometres. As it enters the atmosphere, it faces very high heat due to air friction. The outside of the capsule heats up to more than 1,900 degrees Celsius. But the heat shield under the spacecraft protects everyone inside. This part of the journey looks like a fireball in the sky and happens between 80 kilometres and 50 kilometres above Earth. The astronauts feel very strong pressure—four to five times their body weight—as the capsule slows down quickly to about 1,600 km/h,” explained space analyst Girish Linganna. 

As it comes closer to Earth, the spacecraft reaches a height of about 5.5 kilometres. At this point, two drogue parachutes open. These are smaller parachutes that help slow down and stabilise the spacecraft, bringing its speed down to around 500 kilometres per hour. Then, at around 1.8 kilometres from the surface, four main parachutes open. These are big parachutes that reduce the speed even more to a safe level—about 24 kilometres per hour—just before hitting the water. The parachutes make sure the capsule lands softly on the ocean and doesn’t hurt the astronauts or damage the scientific cargo inside.

The splashdown is expected to happen at exactly 3.01 pm IST on July 15 in the Pacific Ocean. 

“Water is a natural cushion that reduces the impact of landing. People near the coast may hear a short, loud sound called a sonic boom as the spacecraft breaks the sound barrier while falling. As soon as the capsule touches water, recovery teams from SpaceX and Axiom Space quickly reach it using speedboats and helicopters. They check for leaks or damage and make sure everything is safe. Then, a special crane lifts the capsule onto a ship. Onboard, doctors check the astronauts’ health. The Dragon spacecraft also carries around 580 pounds (about 263 kilograms) of equipment and scientific samples, including results from over 60 experiments. These are handled with great care,” added Linganna 

After the first health check, the astronauts—including Shubhanshu—are taken by helicopter to land, where they start a week-long rehabilitation program to help their bodies adjust to Earth’s gravity again.

This entire return process is not just a technical task—it is a proud moment for India. Shubhanshu Shukla is only the second Indian to go to space. The Axiom-4 mission was supported by ISRO with a budget of around ₹550 crore. It is a partnership between India, Axiom Space, and NASA. The mission also included seven experiments done by Shubhanshu in space. These experiments will help scientists make improvements in medicine, farming, and space technology, not only for India but also for the entire world.

This mission also supports India’s big goal of sending its own astronauts through the Gaganyaan program by 2027. It shows that India can work with private companies like Axiom Space and become a strong player in human space travel.

Around the world, Axiom-4 is proof that commercial space travel is growing. Axiom Space, a private company in Houston, has now completed four missions like this since 2022. Countries like Poland, Hungary, and India are now able to send astronauts with help from such companies. This mission also proves that SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is reliable and safe. Millions of people watched the splashdown live on NASA TV, YouTube, and social media. It showed how international teamwork and science come together to achieve great things.

In simple words, the Axiom-4 splashdown is the final step in a long and carefully planned return from space. It includes undocking from the space station, falling back to Earth, opening parachutes, and being picked up by boats. 

“The mission’s success also proves cost-effectiveness, a trait India has long been celebrated for. The ₹550 crore investment offered 18 days of operational experience, involvement in over 60 international experiments, and execution of seven Indian-designed microgravity studies, including those on tardigrades, myogenesis, crop sprouting, and algae-based life support systems. This efficient use of funds echoes India’s earlier successes, such as the Mars Orbiter Mission and Chandrayaan-3,” remarked Srimathy Kesan, founder and CEO of Space Kidz India. 

Strategically, the experience gained from Ax-4 supports the timeline and ambition of Gaganyaan, which aims to make India the fourth nation—after the US, Russia, and China—to achieve independent human spaceflight capability. 

“It also feeds into long-term plans for the Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and a crewed lunar mission by 2040. These bold goals are made more feasible through the foundational experience and international networks developed during the Ax-4 mission,” added Kesan. 

Sci/Tech