Shubhanshu Shukla Landed In Ocean, While Rakesh Sharma Returned On Land – Here's Why

India.com

19 hours ago

New Delhi: In the silence of space, homecoming is not always about wheels touching concrete. On his return from a successful space mission, Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla splashed down safely into the Pacific Ocean near California, riding aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule. His descent was smooth, calculated and calm. This moment evoked another chapter in history, one that began nearly 41 years ago on a dusty plain in Kazakhstan.
Back in April 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, India's first man in space, had returned aboard the Soviet Soyuz T-10 capsule. His landing site was the sprawling and marshy fields of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan. His mission had taken him to the Soviet Salyut 7 space station.
His return was noisy, turbulent and almost jarring. But it was historic. And it raised a question as to why did one astronaut return to land and the other to sea?
The answer is a blend of spacecraft design, logistics, safety calculations and national strategy.
A Safe Touchdown or a Splash?
Ocean landings, what engineers call 'splashdowns', are often the first choice for missions returning to the United States. SpaceX's Dragon, like Apollo missions before it, lands in the ocean. The water cushions the impact. It also provides a massive natural buffer zone. Debris from the spacecraft's trunk is jettisoned before reentry, falling harmlessly into the ocean instead of onto populated land.
But even splashdowns have their risks. Earlier this year, chunks of a discarded Dragon trunk were found across remote areas of Australia and Canada. Luckily, no one was harmed. The incident proved that even the ocean is not foolproof.
Landing on solid ground, on the other hand, may look simpler but it is far from it. Boeing's Starliner did just that in 2024, gliding to a touchdown at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
Russia and China have preferred land landings for decades. Their capsules come down in vast and controlled stretches of wilderness like Kazakhstan or Inner Mongolia.
The benefits? Easier recovery, lower cost and no need for naval support.
The risks? A harder landing. More shock to the body. Especially for astronauts re-adapting to gravity after days or weeks in orbit.
Spacecraft Design Dictates Landing Style
Spacecraft are not one-size-fits-all. Each vehicle is engineered with a specific reentry plan. Whether it is Russia's Soyuz, China's Shenzhou, SpaceX's Dragon or Boeing's Starliner, the choice of landing site is built into the capsule's very bones.
In Shubhanshu Shukla's case, a splashdown made sense. SpaceX missions are designed for water landings. The Pacific Ocean provides flexibility, comfort and recovery access. The crew's safety comes first. Recovery vessels wait in position, and helicopters are often deployed to reach the crew within minutes of touchdown.
But for the Soyuz capsule that brought back Rakesh Sharma, a parachute-guided descent onto hard land was the norm. That mission ended in the semi-frozen earth near Arkalyk, a desolate stretch where generations of Soviet cosmonauts had landed. The rugged Kazakh steppe has long been used for such operations, its openness reducing the risk to nearby populations.
A Veteran Remembers
Rakesh Sharma opened up in 2024 about that return to earth. Speaking to PTI, he had described the raw and jarring final moments of reentry.
'The return was more dramatic than expected. There was a point when I thought it might not go as planned. And suddenly, the parachute opened. There was a lot of noise. More than we were prepared for,' he had said.
It was a reminder. Reentry is not a routine a descent. It is survival.
Space, Then and Now
From Sharma's Soviet capsule in 1984 to Shukla's SpaceX Dragon in 2024, much has changed. Technology has evolved. Private players have stepped in. Comfort and control have improved. But one thing has not changed – earth is still a hard place to return to.
For Shubhanshu Shukla, the sea offered calm and precision. For Rakesh Sharma, the earth offered resilience and tradition. Two astronauts. Two eras. Two very different journeys back home.