Indian Air Force Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission, entered the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Monday for their return journey to Earth. The mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California tomorrow.
As per Axiom Space, the crew’s return journey will take approximately 22.5 hours back to Earth, marking the conclusion of their nearly mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Shubhanshu Shukla’s farewell speech
Group Captain Shukla on Sunday delivered a stirring farewell speech from the International Space Station (ISS) as the Ax-4 crew prepared for its journey back to Earth.
With a modern twist, he quoted the iconic words of Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, saying, “Aaj ka Bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se acha dikhta hai” (Today’s India is still more splendid than the entire world).
“Aaj ka bharat space se mahatvakaanshi dikhta hai, aaj ka bharat space se nidar dikhta hai, aaj ka Bharat confident dikhta hai, aaj ka Bharat garv se poorn dikhta hai aur inhi sab kaarano ki vajah se aaj mai fir se keh sakta hoon ki aaj ka bharat abhi bhi saare jahaan se acha dikhta hai” (Today’s India looks ambitious from space. Today’s India looks fearless, confident, and full of pride),” he added.
Group Captain Shukla also expressed his gratitude to the people of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NASA, international partners, Axiom Space, and SpaceX for making this journey possible and highlighted the incredible experience of working with professionals from around the world and the mission’s far-reaching impact.
(This is a developing story. Please check back for updates)