The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission separated from the International Space Station (ISS) at 4:45 pm (IST) on Monday. Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is projected to return to Earth on July 15 around 3 pm, with an hour allotted for both separation and splashdown. Shubhanshu Shukla, representing India, successfully concluded the Axiom-4 mission and is now on the return path from the ISS, which will span approximately 22.5 hours. In his 20-day stay in space, Shukla circled the Earth more than 310 times, covering a distance of roughly 1.3 crore kilometers, or 33 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. The mission crew witnessed the unique experience of over 300 sunrises and sunsets, providing a valuable perspective on low Earth orbit. The Dragon capsule ‘Grace’ is currently undergoing intricate technical procedures to separate from the ISS and begin its Earth return, involving multiple departure burns.
