Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three international astronauts, is set to undock from the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, July 14, at 4:35 PM IST. This event will officially bring India’s first-ever mission to the orbiting laboratory to a close.
Departure on SpaceX Dragon ‘Grace’
The crew of Axiom Mission 4 will leave the ISS aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named “Grace.” Their return was initially scheduled for a two-week duration, but their stay was extended due to mission requirements. The final timing of the undocking depends on weather conditions near the California coast, Axiom Space confirmed.
In a statement released Friday, Axiom Space said, “The Axiom Mission 4 crew is set to undock from the International Space Station no earlier than Monday, July 14, at 7:05 AM ET (4:35pm IST), pending favourable weather conditions.”
Crew Wraps Up Extensive Scientific Work
The mission is commanded by American astronaut Peggy Whitson. Group Captain Shukla serves as the pilot, while the mission specialists are Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. In their final days aboard the ISS, the crew has been busy wrapping up experiments.
Since arriving at the station on June 26, they have completed 60 scientific experiments involving participation from 31 different countries. These studies span a wide range of fields, contributing to global space research.
Live Coverage of Departure
NASA has announced that it will broadcast the crew’s departure live. Coverage will begin at around 2:00 PM IST on July 14, starting with the closing of the ISS hatch. Live streaming of the undocking process will follow, starting at 4:15 PM IST.
Strengthening India-US Space Collaboration
This mission has further deepened collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the US space agency NASA. Together, the two organisations have worked on five joint scientific studies and two in-orbit technology demonstrations as part of this mission.
The Axiom-4 mission is seen as an important step forward in India’s space journey. It plays a key role in preparing for India’s upcoming human spaceflight programme, Gaganyaan, and contributes to long-term goals like building the Bharatiya Antariksh Station—India’s planned space station.
