Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to Return from Space Station on July 14
Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14, Axiom Space announced on Friday.
Shukla is on a 14-day mission with three other crew members – Peggy Whitson, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Tibor Kapu. They will travel back inside the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, which will undock from the ISS at 7:05 am ET (4:35 pm IST) and land in the Pacific Ocean near California a few hours later.
NASA’s Steve Stitch said they are closely monitoring the mission and confirmed the undocking target for July 14.
Shukla, an Indian Air Force Group Captain, is the first Indian to visit the ISS and the second Indian astronaut after Rakesh Sharma, who went to space in 1984.
During his mission, Shukla conducted seven India-specific experiments to support India’s upcoming Gaganyaan human space flight programme. These included studying muscle loss in space, testing brain-computer interface technology, and growing green gram and fenugreek seeds in microgravity.
Shukla also spoke with students from Kerala and Lucknow through video calls. The students asked him questions about life in space, such as what astronauts eat, how they sleep without gravity, and what happens if someone gets sick.
He told them that the launch experience was “amazing” and described how in space there is no floor or ceiling, so astronauts can sleep anywhere, even on walls or ceilings.
