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Shubhanshu Shukla Earth Return Live Update: Axiom 4 Dragon spacecraft splashes down safely in Pacific Ocean

Shubhanshu Shukla Axiom-4 Undocking Live Updates: After an extraordinary 18-day stay aboard the orbital laboratory, Shukla and his three international crewmates splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California around 3 pm IST (4:31 AM CT).

Varsha Agarwal

Updated : Jul 15, 2025, 03:29 PM IST

Shubhanshu Shukla Earth Return Live Update: Axiom 4 Dragon spacecraft splashes down safely in Pacific Ocean

Shubhanshu Shukla Return Live Updates: The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, carrying Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 3:01 p.m. IST (4:31 AM CT) on Tuesday. The Axiom-4 crew undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) at around 4:45 pm IST on July 14.

Shubhanshi Shukla, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft ‘Grace’, trained by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is the first Indian to reach the ISS via a private spaceflight. During the 18-day stay, the Axiom-4 crew conducted a series of scientific and outreach activities as part of the mission. Group Captain Shukla, a 39-year-old Indian Air Force officer and test pilot, completed his maiden space voyage as part of the Axiom-4 mission, a commercial spaceflight supported by ISRO and NASA, and operated by Axiom Space.

The Axiom-4 crew travelled 1.3 crore km, completing 310 orbits around Earth, which is equivalent to 33 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. The 20-day space odyssey aboard the crew witnessed over 300 breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Now, the Dragon capsule is performing precise departure burns to undock from the ISS and set a new orbit for its 22.5-hour journey back to Earth. The crew’s splashdown on Earth is likely to take place at 3:00 pm today with a one-hour margin of variation.

LIVE BLOG

15 Jul 2025, 03:12 PM
PM Modi welcomes Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla

He tweeted, "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 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."

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 International Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 15, 2025
15 Jul 2025, 03:03 PM
Axiom 4 Dragon spacecraft splashes down back on Earth, WATCH

WATCH In a historic moment, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the Axiom-4 crew aboard Dragon spacecraft splashes down in the Pacific Ocean after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS)

(Video Source: Axiom Space/YouTube) pic.twitter.com/qLAq2tyW5S
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2025
15 Jul 2025, 03:01 PM
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's family rejoices

The family celebrates as Shubhanshu and the entire crew return to the Earth after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

#WATCH | Axiom-4 Mission | Lucknow, UP: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's family rejoices and celebrates as he and the entire crew return to the earth after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) pic.twitter.com/S8TuJk95D7
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2025
15 Jul 2025, 02:50 PM
Axiom-4, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, lands on Earth
15 Jul 2025, 02:58 PM
Parachutes have been deployed

Dragon’s four main parachutes have deployed pic.twitter.com/oGfRfqCymB
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 15, 2025
15 Jul 2025, 02:49 PM
Dragon’s deorbit burn is complete, nosecone is closed: SpaceX

Dragon spaceflight's trunk has been successfully jettisoned, and the de-orbit burn is complete. The spacecraft's nosecone is closed and secured for reentry, splashdown in 5 minutes.
15 Jul 2025, 11:57 AM
Shubhanshu Shukla Return Live Updates: Shubhanshu Shukla's Lucknow home decorated ahead of his return

July 15, 2025
15 Jul 2025, 10:55 AM
Shubhanshu Shukla's father expresses happiness as his son is coming back

Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla says, "We are very excited, today is a very big day in our lives. Our son is coming back and his safe landing is scheduled. We have been praying for this since morning, actually, even… pic.twitter.com/LUPG6IFzTY
— IANS (@ians_india) July 15, 2025
15 Jul 2025, 10:06 AM
Dragon Spacecraft piloted by Group Captain Shukla is on track

(Photo/X@SpaceX)
15 Jul 2025, 10:01 AM
Shubhanshu Shukla's mother: 'We will give him a grand welcome"

July 15, 2025
15 Jul 2025, 09:59 AM
Shubhanshu Shukla’s farewell message

“41 years ago, an Indian came to space and he told us how India looks from up above. Today’s India looks ambitious from space, today’s India looks fearless, today’s India looks confident, today’s India looks full of pride… today’s India still looks ‘saare jahan se acha. Our journey ahead into space exploration may be long and arduous, but it has begun.”
15 Jul 2025, 09:57 AM
Axiom 4 undocked from ISS on July 14, 2025

Shukla, along with fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), boarded SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft "Grace" at 3:30 a.m. CT (2 PM IST) on Monday. The spacecraft undocked from the ISS’s Harmony module at 7:15 a.m. ET (4:45 p.m. IST).