Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS), is set to return to Earth after completing the Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4). The undocking of the spacecraft is scheduled for Monday, followed by a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. Before leaving the ISS, Shukla echoed the words of Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, stating that today’s India looks more splendid than the entire world. He expressed his feelings on how the country looks ambitious, fearless, confident, and proud from space. The Ax-4 mission, a collaborative effort involving ISRO, NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX, saw Shukla and his crew conducting research and outreach activities on the ISS for nearly three weeks. The Dragon spacecraft will return with over 580 pounds of cargo, including research data and hardware.
