Shubhanshu Shukla Bids Farewell to ISS: A Historic Undocking

India’s first ISS astronaut prepares for return aboard SpaceX Dragon, concluding the AX‑4 mission

Shukla, with Commander Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznański-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), reflect international collaboration

The undocking procedure began with the crew sealing the Hatch between Harmony and the Dragon around 2 pm IST

At approximately 4:30 pm IST, the Dragon spacecraft gently undocked, ending an 18‑day mission in space

Over 60 experiments were completed on biology, AI, microalgae, plant growth, virtual reality and materials science

Shukla conducted ISRO‑led microgravity seed germination research, aiding future space agriculture

The Dragon capsule will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere approximately 22 hours later, ending with splashdown off California on July 15

Shukla’s mission advances India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight ambitions and marks a major milestone in private-public space collaboration