NEW DELHI, July 14: After spending 18 days at the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his three other Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew members departed from the orbiting laboratory on Monday on-board the SpaceX Dragon.
The Ax-4 crew members’ return journey to earth commenced at 4.45 p.m. IST as the Dragon autonomously undocked from the forward-facing port of the ISS’s Harmony module and would conclude with a splashdown off the California coast on Tuesday.
The journey back to earth would take about 22.5 hours. Following a series of orbital manoeuvres after undocking, Dragon is expected to splashdown approximately at 3 p.m. (IST) on Tuesday.
In an official statement, Axiom Space said, “Undocking from the ISS is scheduled for no earlier than 6:05 a.m. CT (4:35 p.m. IST),” adding that after a 22.5-hour journey back to Earth, the crew is expected to splash down off the coast of California at approximately 4:31 a.m. CT (3:01 a.m. IST on Tuesday).”
After undocking, Dragon will perform engine burns to distance itself from the ISS and begin re-entry. Final steps include detaching its trunk and positioning the heat shield for atmospheric entry where temperatures can reach 1,600°C.
Parachutes will deploy in two stages: stabilising chutes at around 5.7 km altitude, followed by main chutes at roughly 2 km. Splashdown is expected off the California coast about 22.5 hours after undocking, with recovery by a specialised ship. The spacecraft will be hauled up on a special recovery ship, where the astronauts will be brought out from the capsule.
Notably, Shukla became the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission.
During the farewell ceremony on Sunday, Group Captain Shukla said, “his journey is about to end, but your journey and mine is still very long. The journey of our Human Space Mission is very long and also very difficult.”
“I tell you that today’s India looks ambitious from space. Today’s India looks fearless. Today’s India looks confident. Today’s India looks full of pride and because of all these reasons I can say once again that today’s India still looks good from the whole world. See you soon on Earth,” he added.
On Monday, Group Captain Shukla, who is the pilot for the Ax-4 mission and other crew members Commander Peggy Whitson of the U.S., Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary boarded the Dragon spacecraft as per schedule and suited up in their spacesuits.
A few minutes later, at 2.37 p.m. IST the hatch was closed between the Dragon spacecraft and the ISS in preparation for the undocking. The undocking which was scheduled to take place at 4.35 p.m. IST was delayed for a few minutes and the Dragons detachment from ISS took place at 4.45 p.m. after performing a series of departure burns to move away from the space station.
Group Captain Shukla, who became the first Indian astronaut to go to the ISS, and the first Indian to reach space in the last 41 years, was to spend up to 14 days at the ISS. However, his stay got extended by a few days. During his stay at the orbiting laboratory, he conducted several microgravity research experiments proposed by Indians from national R&D laboratories and academic institutions.
He also spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had a couple of interactions with the student community back home via ham radio. The Ax-4 research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and nations across Europe. After splashdown, Group Captain Shukla will undergo a rehabilitation programme for about a week, under the supervision of flight surgeons, in order to adapt back to Earth’s gravity.
(Manas Dasgupta)
