Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI:The Dragon spacecraft piloted by Shubhanshu Shukla splashed down with grace on July 15 , completing its mission after 18 days on the ISS. Waving to the camera, a smiling ‘Shux’ egressed from the Dragon spacecraft which he had piloted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on welcomed Shubanshu Shukla upon his return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), saying he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication. The PM termed the achievement a significant step towards India’s Human Space Flight Mission Gaganyaan.
SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft ‘Grace’ successfully landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, marking the safe return of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew, including pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS). The splashdown, confirmed by SpaceX, concludes a nearly 19-day mission aboard the ISS, fulfilling a significant milestone in Indo-US space cooperation.
Earlier, SpaceX stated that it was set for a splashdown on Earth off the coast of California, as the nosecone of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft ‘Grace’ has been closed and secured for reentry. SpaceX made the announcement of the mission in a post on X, as the mission marks the final stages of the crew’s return from the International Space Station (ISS) after almost 20 days in space. The re-entry was done following the completion of the deorbit burn and the jettisoning of the trunk, as confirmed by SpaceX.
“Dragon’s nosecone is closed and secured for reentry. Splashdown in ~26 minutes,” SpaceX stated in a post on X.” Dragon’s deorbit burn is complete and the trunk has been jettisoned,” stated another post.
