Axiom-4 mission: SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, crew members return to earth

Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his Axiom-4 mission 4 (Ax-4) crew members returned to earth on Tuesday (July 15, 2025) as their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft splashed down at 3.02 p.m.

The splash down occurred off the coast of  San Diego 22.5 hours after the Dragon departed from the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14.

Axiom-4 crew return LIVE

Group Captain Shukla 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 spent 18 days at the ISS.

The four astronauts flew to the space station on the Dragon after it was launched by the Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida June 25, 2025.

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, UAE, and nations across Europe.

Group Captain Shukla who is the first Indian to reach space in the last 41 years during his stay at the ISS completed seven microgravity experiments which were assigned to him by ISRO. They include experiments on Indian strain of Tardigrades, Myogenesis, Sprouting of methi and moong seeds, Cyanobacteria, Microalgae, Crop seeds and Voyager Display.  

Post splashdown a Space X recovery vessel Shannon will pick up the crew from the sea, they will then undergo their first medical checks onboard the recovery vessel before flying on a helicopter back to land.

From there, the crew will be flown to Houston where they will be reunited with their respective teams.

According to ISRO, Group Captain Shukla will undergo a rehabilitation programme for about a week under s