Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Returns Safely After Pioneering Mission to ISS

Indian Air Force pilot and astronaut Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three fellow crew members of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, safely returned to Earth on Tuesday, following a successful 18-day research mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The crew’s capsule, Dragon Grace, completed its journey with a smooth splashdown in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego after a 22.5-hour return trip that began with undocking from the ISS on Monday.

The Ax-4 mission was launched on June 25 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the spacecraft docked with the ISS on June 26. Commanded by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, the international crew also included Mission Specialists Slawosz “Suave” Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu, in addition to Captain Shukla.

A native of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Shukla was born in 1985 and educated in his hometown before graduating from the National Defence Academy. He was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006 and has since accumulated over 2,000 hours of flying time on frontline fighter aircraft. Selected in 2019 for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, he later earned his place on the Axiom-4 mission, becoming the first Indian to visit the ISS and only the second Indian to travel to space—following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma’s historic flight in 1984 aboard the Soviet Salyut-7 mission.

During the Ax-4 mission, Captain Shukla conducted a series of advanced microgravity experiments, all of which were successfully completed, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). His research focused on biological and agricultural science under spaceflight conditions.

Working within the ISS's Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG), Shukla investigated the degradation of skeletal muscle in microgravity, conducted comparative studies on photosynthetic bacteria strains, and cultivated microalgae to assess how spaceflight alters their metabolic and genetic profiles. In addition, he executed experiments on Indian strains of Tardigrades, muscle cell myogenesis, and the germination of methi (fenugreek) and moong seeds, as well as studies on cyanobacteria and crop seeds.

Shukla’s achievements mark a critical step forward in India’s presence in human spaceflight and international space research collaborations. His contributions not only reflect India's growing capabilities in space science but also pave the way for future Indian missions beyond Earth’s orbit.