Overview

• The Dragon Grace capsule splashed down off the California coast at 3:01 p.m. IST on July 15, concluding the Axiom-4 mission’s return from the ISS.
• All four astronauts were recovered by SpaceX teams and have entered a seven-day rehabilitation program to readjust to Earth’s gravity.
• Mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla completed seven India-backed microgravity experiments during an extended 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the crew’s safe return, calling it a milestone toward India’s indigenous Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
• The Axiom-4 mission highlighted a public–private collaboration among ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space and SpaceX, setting a template for future international space research.