New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) After spending 18 days on the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on Monday has begun his journey towards Earth.

On June 26, Shukla became the first Indian to reach the orbital lab. He also became the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 odyssey.

The 14-day mission was extended to 18 days, and Shukla boarded SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, named ‘Grace’ at 03:30 am CT (2 pm IST).

The hatch closed between the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the International Space Station “at 5:07 a.m. EDT,” NASA said in a blog post.

Shukla along with fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson (US), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) undocked from the ISS’s Harmony module at about 7:15 a.m. ET (4:45 pm IST).

“Dragon is GO to undock from the Space_Station,” SpaceX said in a post on X.

“Dragon separation confirmed!” the post added.

“After a 22.5-hour journey back to Earth, the crew is expected to splash down off the coast of California at approximately 4:31 am CT (3:01 pm IST, Tuesday),” said Axiom Space in a statement.

In a heartfelt farewell message from space on Sunday, Shukla described his time aboard the ISS as “an incredible journey,” and thanked ISRO, Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX for their support.

“India still looks better than the whole world,” he said.

“Today’s India looks ambitious from space, today’s India looks brave, today’s India looks confident, today’s India looks full of pride,” the IAF Group Captain added.

Even as Shukla’s successful mission marks a historic milestone, his family, filled with joy and pride, is also anxiously awaiting his safe landing.

“We’re feeling superbly excited and nervous, just like it felt on the first day of his lift-off. There’s a sense of nervousness because this is such a crucial stage, it’s the final one. Once he splashes down safely, only then will we feel relieved and relaxed,” Shukla’s sister Shuchi Mishra told IANS.

Residents of Varanasi were also seen performing a special ‘yagya-havan’ for the safe return of Group Captain Shukla.

The ceremony, marked by devotion and patriotic pride, saw priests chanting Vedic mantras as flames of the sacred fire rose towards the sky –mirroring the celestial heights from which Shukla is now returning.

On the orbital post, Shukla carried out seven India-specific experiments, taking a major step in advancing India’s Gaganyaan human space flight mission.

These included experiments to decode muscle loss, developing a brain-computer interface, and sprouting green gram and fenugreek seeds in space, among others.

The experiments represent a significant leap in space science and technology, contributing critical knowledge to support Gaganyaan, India’s human spaceflight mission, and the setting up of Bhartiya Antariksha Station, and other future planetary missions.

After landing, Shukla, along with other crew members, will undergo a rehabilitation programme (about seven days) under the supervision of the Flight Surgeons to adapt back to Earth’s gravity.

–IANS

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