Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three international astronauts aboard SpaceX&rsquo;s Dragon spacecraft "Grace," is set to splash down in the Pacific Ocean today as part of Axiom Space&rsquo;s Ax-4 mission.
The spacecraft, carrying Shukla, Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), undocked from the International Space Station and is on schedule to reenter Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere at 3:01 p.m. IST (4:31 a.m. CT), off the coast of San Diego, California.
&ldquo;Dragon and the Ax-4 crew are on track to reenter Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere and splash down,&rdquo; SpaceX confirmed on X, adding that a brief sonic boom will precede the spacecraft&rsquo;s arrival.
The de-orbit burn is slated for 2:07 p.m. IST, followed by separation of the capsule&rsquo;s trunk at 2:26 p.m. The spacecraft's heat shield will then withstand reentry temperatures nearing 1,600&deg;C. Parachutes will deploy at two altitudes &mdash; stabilising chutes at 5.7 km and main chutes at 2 km &mdash; before final splashdown.
During his 2-week stay aboard the ISS, Shukla completed over 310 Earth orbits, covering more than 1.3 crore km &mdash; equivalent to 33 round-trips to the Moon. The crew also witnessed over 300 sunrises and sunsets.
ISRO confirmed that Shukla completed all seven planned microgravity experiments, including studies on tardigrades, myogenesis, seed sprouting, cyanobacteria, and microalgae.
Shukla&rsquo;s participation marks a proud milestone in India&rsquo;s growing human spaceflight ambitions.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]

IAF’s Shubhanshu Shukla Set for Splashdown Today with Ax-4

IAF’s Shukla and Ax-4 crew to splashdown off California after 310 orbits and key space experiments

IAF’s Shubhanshu Shukla Set for Splashdown Today with Ax-4

IAF’s Shukla and Ax-4 crew to splashdown off California after 310 orbits and key space experiments

July 15, 2025 | 18:16 IST