Subhanshu is all smiles after exiting Dragon capsule; ISRO team reaches US

CALIFORNIA: Astronaut Peggy Whitson became the first member of the Axiom-4 mission crew to exit the Dragon capsule after it reached Earth after an 18-day stay at the International Space Station. Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla was the second to leave the capsule and was all smiles while facing the camera.

Watching the visuals live from India, Subhanshu’s family members tried hard to control their emotions amidst celebrations and slogans praising the Indian astronaut from the locals.

“He has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit. It marks another milestone towards our own Human Space Flight Mission - Gaganyaan.” Responded Indian Prime Minister Modi.

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The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with Shubhanshu and other astronauts, part of the Axiom-4 Mission, made a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California at 3 pm Indian time.

Subhanshu and his team will be taken to the Johns Hopkins Space Centre in Houston. It will be only after one week of isolation at the centre that Shubhanshu will return to India.

A special cell was allocated exclusively for ISRO in the control centre of the NASA space station. Two doctors and four scientists from India, who have specialised in aerospace medicine, were part of this mission. The vital experience by India’s first astronaut to have visited the ISS will come in handy for the prestigious ‘Gaganyaan’ project.

Subhanshu reached the space station on June 26 with the Axiom 4 mission crew. Peggy Whitson (US), Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewsk (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) were also part of the crew.