Shubhanshu Shukla down to earth, India fly high in space odyssey

Mangalore Today News Network

San Diego, July 15, 2025: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others from the Axiom-4 mission made a safe landing in the ocean near San Diego on Tuesday afternoon after a 22.5-hour journey from the International Space Station, where they spent 18 days.

Following a series of orbital manoeuvres after undocking, the Dragon spacecraft splashed down near the coast of California. The astronauts began their return journey to Earth on Monday as the Dragon Grace spacecraft undocked from the ISS.

Shukla and three others, Axiom 4 (Ax-4) crew Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialists Slawosz “Suave" Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu embarked on the space odyssey on June 25 from Florida and docked at the ISS on June 26.

Who Is Shubhanshu Shukla? 

Born in Lucknow in 1985, Shubhanshu Shukla completed his schooling in the capital of Uttar Pradesh. He later graduated from the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2006. With over 2,000 hours of flying experience on top combat aircraft, he was selected in 2019 for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme and was eventually chosen as the pilot for the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission.

With this space trip, Shukla became the first Indian to travel to the ISS and only the second to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s pathbreaking spaceflight as part of the then Soviet Union’s mission to Salyut-7 space station in 1984.

What Shubhanshu Shukla Did On ISS?

Shubhanshu Shukla completed all seven microgravity experiments and other planned activities, achieving a significant milestone in the Axiom-4 mission, ISRO said on Monday. It said that experiments on the Indian strain of Tardigrades, Myogenesis, Sprouting of methi and moong seeds, Cyanobacteria, Microalgae, Crop seeds and Voyager Display have been completed as planned.

Captain Shubhanshu Shukla began his research using the Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) to explore the biological pathways involved in skeletal muscle degradation in space. He conducted a plant study comparing two strains of photosynthetic bacteria to observe their growth and functioning in microgravity. Additionally, he cultivated three strains of microalgae to examine how microgravity affects their growth, metabolism, and genetic activity.

Shukla continued working on the microalgae experiment to investigate how these organisms could potentially serve as sustainable sources of food, fuel, or oxygen for long-duration space missions. He also used microscopy to study muscle cell development in space. The Indian astronaut documented the Voyager Tardigrades experiment, which looks into how these resilient microscopic creatures survive and reproduce in space.

While recording observations for the myogenesis investigation, Shukla also handled the deployment and stowage of samples for the Space Micro Algae experiment. He irrigated crop seeds as part of the Sprouts project, aimed at understanding how spaceflight influences seed germination and plant growth. The objective of the Sprouts project is to deepen knowledge of sustainable crop production for future long-duration missions in space.

During his stay at the ISS, Shukla also interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, school students, and connected with ISRO centres using amateur radio. 

Why Shubhanshu Shukla’s Mission Is Historic For India?

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) views Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s space trip as a crucial milestone towards its ambitious Gaganyaan programme, India’s first planned crewed mission set for 2027.

During his 18 days in space, Shukla experienced 16 sunrises and sunsets daily, as the ISS orbits approximately 400 km above Earth at an impressive speed of 28,000 km per hour. This hands-on experience on the ISS is invaluable for ISRO’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, for which ISRO reportedly incurred an approximate cost of Rs 550 crore for Shukla’s travel. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla himself emphasised that his missions hold “far-reaching implications beyond science."

Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO and Secretary, Department of Space, has also stressed the importance of meticulously documenting all experiments and activities post-Shukla’s return, as these will yield vital insights for the Gaganyaan program’s development.