India's astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and Axiom-4 crew will return to Earth on July 15, 2025, after 18 days on the ISS. Their splashdown off San Diego follows a 22.5-hour journey. Shukla's mission is significant as he is the second Indian in space.

Stressing the importance of all aspects of Shukla's mission, ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan stated that it would be instrumental in refining India’s human spaceflight programme and upcoming Bhartiya Antariksha Station, predicted for 2035.

Shubhanshu Shukla, who became the first Indian astronaut in over four decades to visit the International Space Station (ISS), completed the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California’s coast at 3:00 PM IST.