Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and his fellow Axiom-4 mission crew members are set to return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14, NASA announced on Thursday.
The mission, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25, reached the ISS a day later after a 28-hour journey aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. Since docking, the crew has completed 230 orbits, witnessed as many sunrises, and traveled nearly 96.5 lakh kilometers in space.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stitch noted that the undocking will follow the end of a “high beta period”—a phase when the ISS receives near-constant sunlight, requiring enhanced thermal management.
The Axiom-4 crew, comprising Shukla, Peggy Whitson, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Tibor Kapu, has carried out over 60 experiments across domains such as biomedical science, neuroscience, agriculture, space tech, and materials research—making it the most research-intensive private astronaut mission by Axiom Space to date.
During his two-week stay aboard the ISS, Shukla connected with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, interacted with ISRO scientists, addressed school students, and even contacted ISRO centers via HAM radio.
Axiom Space highlighted that the mission could lead to major breakthroughs in areas such as diabetes treatment, cancer therapy, and human performance monitoring, enhancing both space exploration and life on Earth.
As they prepare to return, Axiom emphasized that every data point and experiment conducted during the mission brings humanity closer to a future where people can live and work in low-Earth orbit and beyond.
