San Diego/Bengaluru, July 15 -- Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members of the Axiom-4 commercial mission safely returned to Earth with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California today.
The return marked the successful completion of India's second human spaceflight and Shukla's pioneering role as the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS).
The Dragon (Grace) capsule, developed by SpaceX, began its de-orbit burn approximately at 2:07 PM IST over the Pacific Ocean. The critical manoeuvre, lasting just under 18 minutes, allowed the spacecraft to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. During this time, communication with the capsule was temporarily lo...