Axiom-4 mission: Shubhanshu Shukla to return to earth on July 14, says NASA

NEW DELHI, July 10: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members of the Axiom-4 mission are set to return to earth from the International Space Station on July 14, NASA said on Thursday.
“We are working with the station program, watching the Axiom-4 progress carefully. I think we need to undock that mission and the current target to undock is July 14,” Steve Stitch, Manager, NASA Commercial Crew Program, told a press conference.
The Axiom-4 mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Centre at Florida on June 25 and the Dragon spacecraft docked at the International Space Station on June 26 after a 28-hour journey.
Astronauts saw over 230 sunrises from space
Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and his Axiom-4 crew have witnessed 230 sunrises onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and travelled nearly 100 lakh kms in space at the end of two weeks on the orbital laboratory.
The Axiom-4 crew, comprising Shukla, Peggy Whitson, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu, also took their final off-duty day on the ISS, waiting for NASA to announce the date of return to Earth.
The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew has completed close to 230 orbits around Earth and travelled more than six million miles (96.5 lakh kms), an Axiom Space statement said.
“From about 250 miles above the Earth, the crew spent their downtime capturing images and video, taking in the view of our home planet below, and reconnecting with loved ones,” it said.
These moments offer a rare pause in an otherwise rigorous daily schedule, the statement said.
With over 60 experiments across biomedical science, advanced materials, neuroscience, agriculture, and space technology.
The Ax-4 mission includes the most research conducted on an Axiom Space private astronaut mission to date.
These investigations could transform the future of human space exploration and life on Earth, with potential breakthroughs in areas such as diabetes management, innovative cancer treatments, and enhanced monitoring of human health and performance.
As the crew resumes their scientific duties, they continue to demonstrate how commercial missions contribute meaningfully to microgravity research and space exploration.
“Every test tube, data point, and observation brings us one step closer to a global community living and working in low-Earth orbit and, eventually, beyond,” Axiom Space said.
The Axiom-4 mission blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25, and the Dragon spacecraft docked at the space station the next day after a 28-hour journey. (PTI)