Ax-4 Crew, Including Shubhanshu Shukla, to Undock from ISS Today; Splashdown Set for July 15

Ax-4 Crew, Including Shubhanshu Shukla, to Undock from ISS Today: After spending almost 18 days on the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4), Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, along with this crew for the mission, will undock from the space station today at 4:35 PM IST.

According to a NASA release, the departure operations will start with hatch closing at 4:30 am EDT or 2:00 PM IST on Monday, with the crew getting into the spacecraft at 4:55 am EDT or 2:25 PM IST, followed by hatch closing. From there, undocking will start at 6:45 am EDT or 4:15 PM IST, with actual undocking at 7:05 am EDT or 4:30 PM IST.

NASA will telecast the whole process on NASA+ and the coverage will end 30 minutes after undocking.

After this, Axiom Space and SpaceX will continue to cover the Dragon Grace spacecraft re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere and splashdown off the coast of California in the Pacific Ocean at around 3 PM IST on Tuesday, July 15.

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According to Axiom Space, the crew’s return journey will take 22.5 hours to get back to Earth, marking the end of their nearly 2 week long stay on the orbiting laboratory.

Earlier today, Group Captain Shukla delivered a farewell speech from the ISS as the Ax-4 crew prepares to head back to Earth.

Before leaving, Shukla addressed the world from the space station. In an emotional speech, he echoed the words of Rakesh Sharma. “Aaj ka Bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se acha dikhta hai,” he said.

He expanded the message with pride and purpose. “Today’s India looks ambitious, fearless, and full of pride,” he added. “From here, India looks confident, and that fills me with hope.”

He thanked ISRO, NASA, SpaceX and global partners. Shukla spoke of unity, science and shared purpose in space. He praised the opportunity to work with astronauts from around the world.

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Group Captain Shukla also thanked the people of ISRO, NASA, international partners, Axiom Space and SpaceX for making this journey possible and the incredible experience of working with professionals from around the world and the mission’s impact.

The Ax-4 crew, comprising Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz "Suave" Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu, have been busy with research and outreach activities on the ISS for the past 18 days.

He also had a video call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a phone call with ISRO chief V Narayanan. He discussed the progress and plans for the Gaganyaan Mission.

At the farewell ceremony on July 13, Shukla gave a speech and said:“This mission is not just a personal milestone, but a proof to what humanity can achieve together. I hope our work inspires young minds in India and across the world to dream beyond boundaries.”

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