SpaceX Dragon Capsule ‘Grace’ Undocks From ISS, Shubhanshu Shukla Sets Course For Pacific Splashdown
SpaceX's Dragon Grace, carrying the Ax-4 crew including the Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, undocked from the ISS after nearly three weeks of space exploration.
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Grace, carrying the four-member Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew, successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) today, bringing to a close nearly three weeks of science, outreach, and international collaboration in orbit. The undocking occurred at approximately 4:40 pm IST, according to mission partner Axiom Space, with earlier departure operations initiated following hatch closure and alignment confirmation.
The Dragon spacecraft executed two departure burns to move away from the International Space Station. The spacecraft then exited the approach ellipsoid – a 4 km by 2 km three-dimensional safety zone around the space station. It is now on 22.5-hour journey to earth with splashdown off the California coast on Tuesday at 3:01 pm IST.
VIDEO | Axiom 4 Mission: The Dragon spacecraft has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), and Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is expected to splash down near California tomorrow.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 14, 2025
(Source: Third Party)
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/EdWOAFmaYB
At the helm of the returning capsule is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, who is serving as pilot for the mission. His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla told news agency ANI, "We are very happy and excited and are ready to welcome him. The undocking will take place at around 4:30 PM. We are very proud of our son. It is a matter of great fortune for us that his mission is complete... We never thought that our son would reach such heights... This is a matter of pride for our country and the people of the country. I thank everyone who prayed for our son."
#WATCH | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: The Axiom-4 mission, featuring Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is set to undock from the International Space Station today, July 14th.
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2025
His father, Shambhu Dayal Shukla, says, "We are very happy and excited and are ready to welcome him. The… pic.twitter.com/FaqRpL8V39
Union MoS (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Space Jitendra Singh posted on X, "Welcome back, Shubhanshu! The entire nation eagerly awaits your arrival back home…as you begin your return journey, after successful undocking of Axiom4."
Welcome back Shubhanshu!
— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) July 14, 2025
The entire nation eagerly awaits your arrival back home…as you begin your return journey, after successful undocking of #Axiom4.#ISRO #ISS pic.twitter.com/rmatebNfPT
As the crew prepared to depart, heartfelt farewells were exchanged onboard the ISS. ISS Commander Takuya Onishi expressed deep appreciation for the visiting astronauts’ contributions: “Peggy, Shux, Suave, Tibor, we really enjoyed your company and thank you so much for bringing so much joy, excitement, inspiration and other positive ways to make our experience here even better, and your dedication to science and your profession definitely set a new standard for private astronaut missions…”
Commander Peggy Whitson, the mission’s commander and former NASA astronaut, responded warmly:
“We really enjoyed ourselves up here. It was an amazing experience… It’s special to work with folks who became our friends, and the camaraderie and teaching were really exceptional.”
In his parting message from orbit, Group Captain Shukla offered a contemporary take on Rakesh Sharma’s historic words, saying: “Aaj ka Bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se achha dikhta hai”—translated as “Today’s India is still more splendid than the entire world.”
Pacific splashdown on July 15
The Grace capsule is expected to complete a 22.5-hour journey back to Earth, with re-entry and splashdown scheduled for around 3 pm IST on Tuesday, July 15, in the Pacific Ocean off California’s coast.
According to NASA, the spacecraft is returning with over 580 pounds (approx. 263 kg) of cargo, including critical hardware and data from more than 60 scientific experiments performed during the mission.
About Axiom-4 mission
Launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the Dragon Grace docked with the ISS on June 26. The Ax-4 crew included Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (ISRO), ESA project astronaut Slawosz “Suave” Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu, part of Hungary’s HUNOR programme.
Throughout their stay, the astronauts conducted scientific research and participated in educational outreach, marking another significant milestone in private spaceflight under Axiom Space’s expanding low-Earth orbit programme.
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