Under post-mission medical evaluation and recovery protocol; To return to India on August 17

California: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s Gaganyatri (astronaut), is back on earth.

The SpaceX crew capsule Grace, carrying Group Captain Shukla and others, splashed down off the coast of California near San Diego right after 3 pm (IST). About 50 minutes later, he was helped out of the spacecraft. Shukla will return to Delhi on Aug. 17, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said after the spacecraft returned to earth.

Group Captain Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot, is only the second Indian to visit space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984. He is the first Indian to visit the $150-billion International Space Station (ISS), an orbiting space laboratory.

Shukla’s parents, Asha Shukla and Shambu Dayal Shukla, watching live in Lucknow, were seen rejoicing and celebrating as he was assisted out of the Dragon Spacecraft onto the recovery vehicle.

Axiom Space, the private space company that brokered this visit for NASA and ISRO costing India nearly $70 million, earlier said that “after approximately 433 hours, 18 days, and 288 orbits around Earth covering nearly 12.2 million kilometres since docking with the International Space Station, the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew is officially homeward bound.”

The crew capsule has taken about 22.5 hours for its journey home. Besides Group Captain Shukla, the crew comprised American astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson and Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

The crew has brought back impactful scientific data and testaments of teamwork, perseverance and a mission that united people from across the globe.

Medical rehabilitation

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Tuesday said that Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla was undergoing a structured post-mission medical evaluation and recovery protocol under the supervision of Axiom Space and ISRO flight surgeons.

“The capsule was recovered promptly by SpaceX’s recovery teams, and Shukla was extracted in stable condition,” ISRO said.

It added that Shukla’s post-mission medical evaluation and recovery protocol would span seven days.

“The post-mission medical evaluation and recovery protocol includes cardiovascular assessments, musculoskeletal tests, and psychological debriefs aimed at ensuring full physiological recovery and data capture for future missions,” the Space Agency said.