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Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, Axiom-4 crew set for splashdown in Pacific: Date and time
Spacex said the Axiom Space website will begin live coverage of Shubhanshu Shukla and the other crew's splashdown at 2 pm IST.
Axiom Mission 4, with Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members, departed from the International Space Station (ISS) early on Monday and embarked on their journey to return the Earth. If all goes as planned, the Dragon capsule will re-enter Earth's atmosphere and land in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Tuesday around 3:01 pm IST. According to the Axiom Space X handle, a live coverage of the splashdown will begin at 2 pm IST on the Axiom Space website.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Union minister of science and technology, also posted on X, saying the spacecraft's arrival planned at 3 pm and that “these timings have a margin window of approximately 1 hour". Follow for live updates on Axiom 4 splashdown.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked at 4:45 pm IST on Monday from the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module. Along with Shubhanshu Shukla the four-member crew of Axiom 4 includes commander Peggy Whitson, mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu.
On track to reenter Earth
SpaceX also took to X, informing that the spacecraft is on track to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and splash down off the coast of San Diego. “Dragon will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean,” it said further.
In a live footage of undocking, the astronauts were seen grabbing their white and black flight suits and strapping in, shortly before the vehicle separated from the station. A couple of brief rocket thrusts then pushed the capsule safely clear of the ISS. Now, the Dragon capsule will slowly maneuver away from the station into an orbital track that will return the crew and its cargo safely to Earth, targeting a splashdown off the coast of California.
In a post on X, Axiom Space noted that the spacecraft would now execute a series of departure burns to move away from the International Space Station. Through the mission over 60 scientific studies and more than 20 outreach events were conducted to make it a success. According to ISRO, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla successfully completed all seven microgravity experiments and other planned activities, achieving a significant milestone in the mission.
Parents eagerly wait Shubhanshu Shukla's return
As the Dragon spacecraft of the Axiom-4 Mission successfully undocked from the ISS, group captain Shubhanshu Shukla's parents on Monday said they would pray for his safe landing. Talking to ANI, his father said, "We are very happy that the undocking took place safely. We expect that the landing will also take place smoothly tomorrow. We have faith in the Almighty.”
Jitendra Singh also expressed delight on the successful undocking of the Axiom-4 and said that the country awaits the arrival of Captain Shubhanshu Shukla.
The SpaceX Falcon 9, carrying the crew, was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25.
