Shubhanshu Shukla, Axiom-4 Crew To Return From International Space Station on July 14: Axiom

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, with his crew members, will return from the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14, Axiom Space Inc. stated.

“The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew is scheduled to undock from the International Space Station no earlier than Monday, July 14, at 7:05 a.m. ET (4.35 pm IST),” the company said on X.

The duration of their stay at the space station was for a two-week period, which should have ended on July 10. Due to the unfavourable weather conditions, they stayed more days than their schedule. 

Days before his homecoming, Shubhanshu Shukla and other crew members attended a feast, showed images from the orbiting laboratory.

Nasa astronaut Jonny Kim dropped the pictures, with caption that read, one of the most unforgettable evenings I’ve experienced on this mission was sharing a meal with new friends, Ax-4, aboard the International. We swapped stories and marvelled at how people from diverse backgrounds and nations came together to represent humanity in space.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Grace docked on ISS on June 26 with the AX-4 mission. The crew have been engaged in 60 experiments representing 31 countries.

Representing the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Shukla has been conducting seven indigenously designed and developed microgravity experiments and five under the ISRO-NASA collaboration.

In one of the experiments, Shukla grew ‘moong’ and ‘methi’ seeds in space to study how microgravity affects germination and early plant development. Once returned to Earth, the seeds will be cultivated over several generations to examine changes in their genetics, microbial ecosystems, and nutritional profiles.

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