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IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), is set to return to Earth tomorrow, July 14, along with his crew from Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4).
The crew is scheduled to undock from the ISS at around 4:35 PM IST, with splashdown expected in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at approximately 3 PM IST on Tuesday, July 15. The return journey aboard the Dragon spacecraft will take around 22 hours, concluding their nearly 18-day mission aboard the ISS. The Ax-4 crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz "Suave" Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu. During their stay, the team conducted multiple scientific experiments and outreach activities aboard the orbiting laboratory. A live farewell ceremony with NASA's Expedition 73 crew is scheduled to take place at 08:55 AM CT (7:25 PM IST) tomorrow. In a post on X, Axiom Space said, "The Ax4 crew will soon conclude their mission aboard the ISS. Watch the farewell ceremony live tomorrow at 08:55 AM CT ahead of their scheduled undocking on Monday." The Dragon spacecraft will return with more than 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 60 experiments conducted during the mission. On "flight day 18", Kapu continued his work on the Fruit Fly DNA Repair study, investigating genetic stability under space radiation, and the VITAPRIC project, growing nutrient-rich plants for astronaut nutrition. Group Captain Shukla, along with his team, tested Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) to assess their accuracy in microgravity, a critical step toward enabling diabetic individuals to participate in spaceflight, as part of the Suite Ride initiative. Other studies on flight day 18 included Voyager Displays, examining eye movement and coordination, and ENPERCHAR, exploring astronaut perception in microgravity. The Neuromotion VR study assessed attention and motor skills, while the Suit Fabric Study gathered data on heat transfer, impacting spacesuit design and terrestrial applications. The crew also worked on the AstroMentalHealth and EEG Neurofeedback projects, which focused on mental health and stress reduction, respectively. Axiom Mission 4 was launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS on June 26 at 4:05 pm IST, ahead of schedule, connecting to the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module. (ANI)
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