Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), is scheduled to disembark from the station today, July 14, 2025, at around 4:30 PM IST, following an unprecedented 18-day stay on board.
An important turning point for India’s aspirations for human spaceflight and international collaboration in low Earth orbit is the Ax-4 project, which was organized by Axiom Space in partnership with NASA, ISRO, the European Space Agency (ESA), and SpaceX.
At 2:00 PM IST (4:30 AM EDT), the hatch closes to begin departure operations. The SpaceX Dragon crew will board the spacecraft at 4:55 AM EDT, or 2:25 PM IST.
The physical separation is planned at 4:30 PM IST (7:05 AM EDT), while the undocking procedure starts at 4:15 PM IST (6:45 AM EDT).
NASA+ will broadcast live coverage of these activities, which will conclude around half an hour after undocking. The spacecraft’s splashdown and re-entry will be covered by Axiom Space and SpaceX platforms in the future.
On July 15, 2025, at about 3:00 PM IST, the Dragon spacecraft, Grace, will make a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California after a 22.5-hour voyage back to Earth. Weather and operational changes could affect the timetable, which has a one-hour margin of error.
Over 60 scientific experiments including human physiology, mental health, plant development, microgravity research, and technology demonstrations were conducted by the crew during their visit. Shukla made significant contributions to Indian-led initiatives including glucose monitoring for diabetic astronauts, fruit fly DNA repair research, and space nutrition (VITAPRIC). Reflecting the scientific importance of the mission, the Dragon spacecraft will return with more than 580 pounds of NASA hardware and essential study samples.
Group Captain Shukla gave a moving farewell message from the International Space Station on Sunday, reiterating the famous quote from India’s first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma: “Aaj ka Bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se acha dikhta hai” (Today’s India is still more wonderful than the entire world).
He thanked ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space, SpaceX, and all international partners for making this milestone possible and emphasized India’s ambition, boldness, confidence, and pride as viewed from space. Shukla emphasized the mission’s influence on fostering international cooperation and motivating the upcoming generation of adventurers.
On June 25, 2025, the Ax-4 mission took out from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. On June 26 at 4:05 PM IST, the Dragon spacecraft docked with the ISS, making an early connection to the space-facing port of the Harmony module. The successful completion of the mission highlights the expanding contribution of commercial collaborations to space exploration and the development of a low Earth orbit economy.
In addition to being India’s first human flight to the ISS, this mission also included the first Polish and Hungarian astronauts to remain on board. The success of the Ax-4 mission is anticipated to support international cooperation in space science and technology as well as India’s future Gaganyaan program.
For India and the larger international space community, the return of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the Ax-4 crew is a historic accomplishment that exemplifies the strength of collaboration, scientific research, and the undying human spirit of exploration.