Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Set to Return from ISS on July 14
Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is set to return to Earth on July 14, Axiom Space confirmed on Friday. Shukla, along with crew members Peggy Whitson, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Tibor Kapu, will undock from the Harmony module aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at 7:05 a.m. ET (4:35 p.m. IST). Splashdown is expected off the California coast in the Pacific Ocean.
Shukla is the first Indian to visit the ISS and the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984. On his 14-day mission, he conducted seven India-specific experiments related to microgravity-induced muscle loss, brain-computer interface development, and plant growth in space.
He also interacted with students from Kerala and Lucknow, answering questions about astronaut life, including food, sleep, and health in space. Recalling the launch, Shukla described it as “amazing” and “dynamic,” noting the fun of floating freely where “there is no floor or ceiling.”
