Right now’s India seems formidable, fearless, assured, and stuffed with delight, says astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla
Forward of his journey again to Earth, Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Sunday (July 13, 2025) mentioned that at this time’s India seems formidable, fearless, assured, and stuffed with delight.
“Forty-one years in the past, an Indian went to area, and he additionally described how India seems from above, and also you all need to know the way India seems from right here. Let me let you know, at this time’s India from area seems formidable, fearless, assured, and stuffed with delight. Due to these causes, I’m telling you once more, ‘Aaj ka Bharat abhi bi sare jahan se acha dikhta hai’ (at this time’s India nonetheless seems the very best on this planet). Let’s meet on Earth quickly,” Group Captain Shukla, mentioned at a farewell ceremony on the Worldwide House Station (ISS).
It had been an unbelievable journey for him on the ISS, he mentioned. “My journey [to the ISS] goes to recover from. However your and my journey remains to be on; the journey of our human area mission is a protracted and in addition troublesome one. However I can guarantee that if we’re decided, even stars are attainable,” Group Captain Shukla mentioned.
Thanking fellow astronauts on the ISS, he mentioned they’d made his and the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax‑4) crew members’ keep particular.
“For the final two-and-a-half weeks, we’ve got accomplished a number of science within the station, [and] outreach actions, and regarded again on the Earth after we discovered time. It nearly appears magical to me. These missions have very far-reaching implications past science and that’s what I imagine. Again from right here, I carry with me a number of reminiscences, however one factor that basically sticks to me is what humanity is able to when all of us come collectively from completely different elements of the world and work for a typical aim,” Group Captain Shukla mentioned.
After two-and-a-half weeks on the ISS, the Indian astronaut shall be embarking on this journey again to Earth on Monday (July 14, 2025).
Group Captain Shukla, pilot of the Ax-4, together with three different crew members of the mission, is scheduled to undock from the forward-facing port of the station’s Concord module at 4.35 p.m. IST (7.05 a.m. ET).
The Ax-4 crew will start their journey dwelling aboard SpaceX Dragon, with a splashdown off the coast of California.
The journey again to Earth would take about 22.5 hours. Following a sequence of orbital manoeuvres after undocking, the Dragon is anticipated to splashdown at 3 p.m. (IST) on Tuesday (July 15, 2025).
“After performing a sequence of departure burns to maneuver away from the area station, Dragon will conduct a number of orbit-lowering manoeuvres, jettison the trunk, and re-enter Earth’s ambiance for splashdown off the coast of California 22.5 hours later,” SpaceX mentioned.
Group Captain Shukla, who grew to become the primary Indian astronaut to go to the ISS, and the primary Indian to succeed in area within the final 41 years, was to spend as much as 14 days on the ISS. Nonetheless, his keep received prolonged by a number of days.
Throughout his keep on the orbiting laboratory, he performed a number of microgravity analysis experiments proposed by Indians from nationwide R&D laboratories and tutorial establishments.
He additionally spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and had a few interactions with the scholar neighborhood again dwelling by way of ham radio.
The Ax-4 analysis complement contains round 60 scientific research and actions representing 31 nations, together with the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and nations throughout Europe.
After splashdown, Group Captain Shukla will endure a rehabilitation programme for a few week, underneath the supervision of flight surgeons, as a way to adapt again to Earth’s gravity.
Printed – July 13, 2025 10:09 pm IST
