Overview
- At a New Delhi press briefing, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla described the ISS trip as a mission for the nation and said India will "very soon" launch from its own capsule and rocket.
- ISRO chairman V. Narayanan said the first uncrewed Gaganyaan mission could lift off around December and would carry the Vyomitra half‑humanoid.
- Narayanan said ISRO pressed SpaceX to probe anomalous sensor data, triggering a scrub that led engineers to uncover a dangerous Falcon‑9 fuel‑line crack.
- Shukla reported completing seven India‑sponsored microgravity experiments on Axiom‑4, with data under analysis and results expected in the coming months.
- After post‑flight rehabilitation in the US, Shukla returned to India and briefed the prime minister, the defence minister and the president on mission outcomes and next steps for Gaganyaan.