After spending over 20 days on the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his Axiom-4 crewmates will return safely to Earth aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, Grace. A splashdown off the coast of California is the result of a series of well planned measures that guarantee a safe and controlled descent.
Following the completion of their mission, the Crew Dragon spacecraft released docking mechanisms and gently pushed away from the ISS to begin its autonomous undocking. The spacecraft underwent a sequence of engine fires after undocking in order to get farther away from the ISS and establish an autonomous orbit.
Grace will gradually decrease its orbit in preparation for re-entry using orbital phasing operations over the course of the next 23 hours. In order to prepare for the crucial deorbit burn, the spacecraft will jettison its trunk section, which contains radiators and solar panels, as it gets closer to Earth. In order to decelerate the spaceship and start its descent into the Earth’s atmosphere, the engines are fired during this burn.
The capsule experiences severe frictional heating upon atmospheric arrival, with temperatures outside rising to almost 2000 degrees Celsius. The crew within the capsule is protected by the heat shield, which is composed of specific metals and materials intended to endure extremely high temperatures.
To guarantee a safe landing speed, the capsule will release a series of parachutes as it slows down through the atmosphere. To stabilize the descent, two drogue parachutes will first release at a height of about 5,000 meters. After that, four primary parachutes will open, allowing for a controlled splashdown in the ocean and further lowering the speed to about 25 km/h.
The splashdown off the coast of California is planned for approximately 3:01 pm IST. Recovery crews will help the astronauts and quickly secure the capsule. Shubhanshu Shukla and his crewmates will have medical examinations and an acclimation period of at least 10 days to assist them acclimate to Earth’s gravity after safely leaving the capsule.
Shukla, the designated mission pilot, is trained to take over manually in the event of a system failure during the return trip, even though the entire descent process is highly automated using the newest SpaceX technology.
As the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian in space altogether, Shukla’s return onboard SpaceX’s cutting-edge Crew Dragon vehicle represents a significant milestone for India.
