Smiling Shubhanshu Shukla emerges out of Dragon spacecraft

Waving and smiling to cameras, Shubhanshu Shukla and three other Axiom-4 mission astronauts emerged from the Dragon Grace spacecraft on Tuesday, taking their first breath of fresh air after completing their 20-day space sojourn.

The 39-year-old Shukla, commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary were seen being helped out of the spacecraft by the ground staff of SpaceX, the transporter for the mission.

The Dragon spacecraft splashed down off the San Diego coast in southern California at 3.01 PM IST, capping a 20-day space sojourn of which 18 days were spent at the International Space Station.

Soon after the splashdown, the spacecraft was hauled up the recovery ship Shannon, where the Axiom-4 crew came out on a small slide and were helped onto their feet by the ground staff.

Shukla and the three astronauts were seen taking tentative steps as they adjusted to gravity back on Earth after spending three weeks in weightlessness on board the space station.

The Axiom-4 crew were undergoing a medical check-up on board the recovery vehicle before being taken ashore in a helicopter.

The four astronauts are expected to spend seven days in rehabilitation as they adjust back to life on Earth under the influence of gravity, unlike the weightlessness experienced in orbit.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Shukla has inspired a billion dreams with his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit. "I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space," Modi said

He lauded Shukla's feat, noting that he is the first Indian to have visited the International Space Station. The prime minister said it marks another milestone towards India's own human space flight mission - Gaganyaan.

The Axiom-4 mission had blasted off from Florida on 25 June and docked at the ISS the next day. After completing the mission, the Dragon Grace spacecraft undocked from the space station on Monday at 4.45 PM IST to begin its 22.5-hour journey back to Earth that culminated on Tuesday.