Axiom Mission 4: Shubhanshu Shukla splashes down in Pacific Ocean aboard Dragon spacecraft; Crew safe
The SpaceX Dragon ‘Grace’ spacecraft carrying astronauts Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after 3 pm IST on July 15
The SpaceX Dragon ‘Grace’ spacecraft carrying astronauts Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after 3 pm IST on July 15
The SpaceX Dragon ‘Grace’ spacecraft carrying astronauts Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after 3 pm IST on July 15
The SpaceX Dragon ‘Grace’ spacecraft carrying astronauts Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary, successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean after 3 pm IST on July 15
India’s second-ever manned space outing, where Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla piloted the Axiom Mission 4, came to a dramatic close on July 15 2025 after the SpaceX Dragon’ Grace’ spacecraft carrying him and three other astronauts splashed down successfully in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California.
With Shukla are Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Shukla and the Ax-4 crew returned to Earth after spending 18 days on the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft began its journey back to Earth on July 14, 2025, in a meticulously engineered, carefully planned way to ensure the astronauts and the scientific experiments they bring are safe.
During their stay aboard the ISS, the astronauts travelled around the Earth more than 310 times. In its ‘free flight’ journey back, the Dragon circled Earth at a speed of nearly 28,000 kilometres per hour and descended from orbit once it reached 400 kilometres above the surface, as it slowed to about 27,000 km/h.
As it closed in on Earth, the capsule slowed down as the deorbit burn was completed with the trunk being jettisoned. The ground teams confirmed that the Dragon’s nosecone was closed and secured for reentry, 26 minutes before the splashdown.
Just minutes before the splashdown, the spacecraft decelerated rapidly thanks to the parachutes.