New Delhi [India], July 15 : Former Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), William Selvamurthy, hailed the return of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his fellow Axiom-4 crew members, calling it a proud and historic moment for India and its 1.4 billion citizens.
Speaking to ANI, Selvamurthy said, "Welcome back, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, and also the other three crew members of the Axiom IV. It's a great moment for us, the 1.4 billion people of our country, welcoming the news with cheers and jubilation."
He added that Group Captain Shukla's journey has deeply inspired the country's youth and will serve as a driving force in pushing India's space ambitions to greater heights in the years ahead.
"It's a very historic moment today, after completing the historic milestone of spending eighteen days in the International Space Station, being the first Indian to be in the International Space Station and also the second Indian to be in space after the late Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma," he said.
"He has also piloted the entire Axiom IV program. This is yet another pinnacle for India--that our Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has piloted the Axiom IV mission, which has been completed," he said.
He further added that the mission's objectives were successfully accomplished and confirmed the crew's safe landing off the southern coast of California.
"We are all looking forward to seeing him soon and learning more about his experience," Selvamurthy added.
Meanwhile, SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft 'Grace', piloted by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, splashed down smoothly in the Pacific Ocean, completing its 18-day mission aboard the ISS. Waving to the camera, a smiling Shukla, nicknamed 'Shux', was seen exiting the spacecraft he piloted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla upon his return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), saying he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication. The PM termed the achievement a significant step towards India's Human Space Flight Mission Gaganyaan.
In a post on X, PM Modi 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 the International Space Station (ISS), he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit."
He added, "It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission - Gaganyaan."
SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft 'Grace' successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, marking the safe return of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew, including pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS).
The splashdown, confirmed by SpaceX, concludes a nearly 19-day mission aboard the ISS, fulfilling a significant milestone in Indo-US space cooperation.
"Splashdown of Dragon confirmed - welcome back to Earth, @AstroPeggy, Shux, @astro_slawosz, and Tibi!" in a post on X.
The Axiom-4 crew returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) after almost 20 days in space.
The re-entry was done following the completion of the deorbit burn and the jettisoning of the trunk, as confirmed by SpaceX.
"Dragon's nosecone is closed and secured for reentry. Splashdown in ~26 minutes," SpaceX stated in a post on X.
"Dragon's deorbit burn is complete and the trunk has been jettisoned," stated another post.
The crew returned to Earth in approximately 22.5 hours from the ISS. Earlier, on Monday, the Ax-4 successfully undocked and was making its way back to Earth, as observed by Axiom Space and NASA.
In an informative blog about mission updates, NASA announced that the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked at 7:15 a.m. EDT (4:45 p.m. IST) from the space-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module, completing the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4.
Axiom Space, in its live session on X, noted that the Axiom-4 mission saw over 60 scientific studies and more than 20 outreach events.
The Ax-4 crew, comprising 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 Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu, had been actively engaged in research and outreach activities aboard the ISS as part of the mission during the past 18-days.
As per NASA, the Dragon spacecraft returns to Earth with more than 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 60 experiments conducted during the mission.
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.