Particle.news
Download on the App Store
243 ARTICLES
·
3h ago

Dragon Splashes Down Off California, Returning India’s First ISS Astronaut

Recovery teams retrieved Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla alongside his three crewmates following their splashdown for medical checks en route to India’s Gaganyaan mission.

Image
Astronaut-Indian Air Force test pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla during his stay at International Space Station
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked at 4:45 pm IST on Monday from the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module.
Image

Overview

  • Dragon Grace spacecraft touched down off the California coast on July 15 at 3:01 pm IST, concluding an 18-day Axiom-4 research mission aboard the International Space Station.
  • The crew carried out more than 60 microgravity experiments, including seven India-sponsored studies on microalgae, seed germination, tardigrades and myogenesis.
  • SpaceX and Axiom Space teams performed initial medical evaluations aboard recovery vessels and initiated a seven-day rehabilitation program to help astronauts readapt to gravity.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Indian officials lauded Shukla’s safe return as a pivotal milestone toward India’s indigenous human spaceflight effort, Gaganyaan, slated for 2027.
  • Operated by Axiom Space in partnership with NASA and ISRO and launched on a SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket, Axiom-4 also marked the first human flights for Poland and Hungary in over 40 years.