India’s Shubhanshu Shukla and the Axiom-4 crew begin their 22-hour journey back to Earth aboard the Dragon spacecraft.

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and the other three crew members of the Axiom-4 mission began their journey back to Earth on Monday around 4:50 pm IST, after spending 18 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

The Dragon spacecraft undocked from the ISS shortly after 4:15 pm IST. Although some steps were delayed, NASA reported the process went smoothly with no issues. Along with the crew, the spacecraft is bringing back over 550 pounds (250 kg) of cargo, including equipment and samples from dozens of experiments.

The Axiom-4 crew is scheduled to splash down off the coast of California on Tuesday, July 15, around 3 pm IST. The entire return trip is expected to last about 22 and a half hours.

The mission started on June 25 when the Dragon spacecraft, operated by SpaceX, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Shubhanshu Shukla served as the pilot. The next day, they docked at the ISS.

On June 28, Shukla spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi from space. He is only the second Indian astronaut after Rakesh Sharma, who flew in 1984.

The crew includes Shukla from ISRO, ESA astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, and Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and now director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space. They will have spent about two weeks in space by the end of the mission.

During their time aboard the ISS, the crew conducted various experiments in medicine, agriculture, and space science. Captain Shukla focused on studying skeletal and muscle degradation in microgravity. Other experiments examined cancer, plant biology, blood circulation, and mental health in space. Shukla also tested growing microalgae as a sustainable food source for long space journeys.

NASA highlighted that this mission was part of a collaboration with ISRO, fulfilling a promise made by former US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to the ISS.

Back home in Lucknow, Shukla’s family shared their experiences staying in touch with him. His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, said, “He showed us where he lives, works, and sleeps in space. There’s no walking — people float from one place to another. They sleep standing, strapped in with a belt.”

He added, “He also shared incredible views — sunrises from space, the Earth’s surface, mountains, and the moon’s movement.”

Shubhanshu’s mother, Asha Devi, said, “He kept us updated and showed us sights from space. On the first Monday of Sawan, we prayed to Lord Shiva at the temple for his safe return.”