"Nation Eagerly Awaits": Jitendra Singh As Shubhanshu Shukla Heads Back To Earth

The entire nation eagerly awaits your return, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said on Monday as astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla embarked on the journey back to earth after an 18-day stay at the International Space Station (ISS).

"Welcome back Shubhanshu! The entire nation eagerly awaits your arrival back home…as you begin your return journey, after successful undocking of #Axiom4," Mr Singh said in a post on X.

Mr Shukla, who became the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 odyssey, and three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission boarded the Dragon spacecraft on Monday that undocked from the ISS at 4:45 PM IST as it began its 22.5-hour journey back to Earth.

The Dragon is expected to splash down on Tuesday at 3:01 pm IST off the California coast. The spacecraft will be hauled up on a special recovery ship where the astronauts will be brought out from the capsule.

The Axiom-4 crew will undergo a series of medical checks onboard the ship before boarding a helicopter for a ride back to the shore.

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