Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 15 : Ahead of the splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft led by Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Tuesday stated that it was a day of joy for the nation and was also the most awaited moment.
"It is a day of joy for us. Bharat Mata's son, Shubhanshu Shukla, is returning to the Earth. He will land in California. All of us are waiting for the moment he will touch down... My greeting to the family of Shubhanshu Shukla..." Pathak told ANI.
Notably, Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla spent almost 20 days in space with almost 19 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission (Axe-4), and has marked history by becoming the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS.
The team is set for a splashdown on Earth off the coast of San Diego, California, at around 3 pm IST today.
According to a post on X by SpaceX, the crew, aboard its Dragon spacecraft are on track to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, with their arrival to be announced with a "brief sonic boom" ahead of their splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.
"Dragon and the Axiom Space Ax-4 crew are on track to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and splash down off the coast of San Diego at ~2:31 a.m. PT tomorrow. Dragon will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean," SpaceX stated.
The crew currently aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, Grace, are on their return journey, which will take approximately 22.5 hours back to Earth from the ISS.
Shubanshu Shukla, mother Asha Shukla stated that she was extremely proud of her son who's name had now been written in history.
While speaking to ANI, Asha Shukla said, "We are very excited... When we saw the undocking, we knew he was on his way now... We are waiting for our son. He will reach by evening. We prayed for his well-being. We went to the temple and took Hanumaji's Darshan. We did a Sundarkand recitation... We are proud that our son wrote his name in history... We will give him a grand welcome..."