Shubhanshu Shukla Return News Live Updates: Dragon Spacecraft Undocking To Begin At 4:35 PM

News18

a day ago

Shubhanshu Shukla Return From Space Date And Time Live Updates: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is set to return to Earth along with three others from the commercial Axiom-4 mission after spending 18 days aboard the International Space Station. The undocking of the Dragon spacecraft is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. IST, and the team will begin their journey back home two hours later.
In an official statement, Axiom Space said, 'Undocking from the ISS is scheduled for no earlier than 6:05 a.m. CT (4:35 p.m. IST),' adding that after a 22.5-hour journey back to Earth, the crew is expected to splash down off the coast of California at approximately 4:31 a.m. CT (3:01 a.m. IST on Tuesday).'
After undocking, Dragon will perform engine burns to distance itself from the ISS and begin re-entry. Final steps include detaching its trunk and positioning the heat shield for atmospheric entry, where temperatures can reach 1,600°C.
Parachutes will deploy in two stages: stabilising chutes at around 5.7 km altitude, followed by main chutes at roughly 2 km. Splashdown is expected off the California coast about 22.5 hours after undocking, with recovery by a specialised ship.
Notably, Shukla became the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission.
'Jaldi hi dharti pe mulaqat karte hain (we will meet on Earth soon),' Shukla said at the farewell ceremony onboard the ISS on Sunday.
The Axiom-4 mission marked a return to space for India, Poland, and Hungary after more than four decades.