New Delhi : Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others involved in the Axiom-4 mission returned to Earth on Tuesday (July 15, 2025) after an 18-day stay on the International Space Station (ISS) and a 22.5-hour journey. The Dragon spacecraft carrying all the astronauts landed in San Diego, California. The first pictures of Shubhanshu Shukla, who returned from space, have surfaced.
The Prime Minister today extended a welcome to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on his return to Earth from his landmark mission aboard the International Space Station. He remarked that as India’s first astronaut to have journeyed to the ISS, Group Captain Shukla’s achievement marks a defining moment in the nation’s space exploration journey.
In a post on X, he wrote:
“I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space. As India’s first astronaut to have visited International Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit. It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission – Gaganyaan.”
Mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, with a smiling face, stepped out of the Dragon spacecraft and experienced gravity for the first time in 18 days. All four astronauts have come out of the Dragon spacecraft. First commander Peggy Whitson Gunn came out of the spacecraft and then mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla came out.
After returning to Earth, Shubhanshu Shukla and the X-4 team will now have to stay in isolation for 10 days. Only after that will their normal life begin. At the farewell ceremony on Sunday (July 13, 2024) at the International Space Station, Shubhanshu Shukla said, “See you soon on Earth.” Shukla is the second Indian astronaut after Rakesh Sharma to travel to space in 1984. With the Axiom-4 mission, India, Poland and Hungary have returned to space after more than four decades.