Shubhanshu Shukla Returns from Historic Space Mission, Boosts India’s Gaganyaan Hopes

National Times Bureau, July 15, 2025: With waves and radiant smiles, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla safely returned to Earth on Tuesday after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), marking a historic leap for India’s human spaceflight ambitions.

Shukla, born in Lucknow, became the second Indian ever to venture into space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission. He also scripted history as the first Indian to visit the ISS, spending a record 20 days in orbit.

Shukla was part of the private Axiom-4 mission alongside mission commander Peggy Whitson and specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Their Dragon Grace spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego at 2:31 am Pacific Time (3:01 pm IST), ending an ambitious mission that rekindled human spaceflight dreams for India, Hungary, and Poland after more than four decades.

Launched from Florida on June 25, the crew docked at the ISS after a 28-hour journey. During their 18-day stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, the astronauts conducted 60 scientific experiments and 20 outreach sessions.

After re-entering Earth’s atmosphere at speeds exceeding 28,000 km/h and enduring scorching heat, the crew’s capsule was safely retrieved by SpaceX’s recovery ship “Shannon.” Shukla and his crewmates emerged smiling and waving, assisted by recovery teams as they readjusted to Earth’s gravity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Shukla’s feat, posting on X:

“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 the 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.”

Back home in Lucknow, Shukla’s family watched the splashdown anxiously. His father Shambhu Dayal Shukla expressed pride in his son’s role in India’s space aspirations, saying:

“He has been to space and back, and we are all over the moon because this mission has its own importance for the country’s Gaganyaan programme.”

ISRO invested ₹550 crore in Shukla’s participation in Axiom-4, viewing it as a critical step toward India’s Gaganyaan mission, scheduled for launch in 2027.

ISRO confirmed that Shukla successfully completed all seven planned microgravity experiments, including studies on Indian strains of tardigrades, myogenesis, sprouting of methi and moong seeds, cyanobacteria, microalgae, crop seeds, and Voyager Display technology.

The Axiom-4 astronauts are now undergoing seven days of rehabilitation to help them readjust to gravity after nearly three weeks in microgravity conditions.

India’s space community and citizens alike are celebrating Shukla’s journey as a beacon for future space explorers and a giant leap closer to realizing India’s own manned spaceflight dreams.